Without
by AbandonedSole
Summary: Naruto is forgotten by his family, disregarded by his peers- and is brought to his limit. However, what happens when someone steps in and gives him a new beginning. Naruto has special powers and will begin his own village. (no pairings, if I add any, it waits until he is older. It is a lil gay in the beginning fyi, but I'm not re-writing 6,000 words to cut it out.)
1. Chapter 1

'Thinking'

"talking"

"Kami/Shinigami/demon speech" 

" **Memories/Dreams not in a flash back"**

* * *

They don't love him. They never have. His father and mother have never seen him as their son. His sisters and brother stay away from him, acting as if he is a threat.

Nothing but a stranger in his own home.

They used to play, when they were very young, but not anymore. His brother treats him as if he has a dagger hidden, just waiting to strike. His sisters seem uninterested, preferring to train than to bother with him.

Training. Another thing he has never had. His siblings, however, have had training all through their six years.

They have left him at home while they do 'family activities,' as if he had never existed. When they do remember him, he is ignored. He always walks five feet behind them.

Why did they leave him? When did this happen?

They never care when he comes home bruised and limping; they could care less if he ate or if he came home at all. They don't care about the cuts on his wrists; they don't notice the large bags under his tired eyes. They never mention his timid speech, or that he flinches away when people speak or move too suddenly. They don't care that he hadn't been home in a week- they wouldn't care if he suddenly died.

If he did die, they would find him in his room, rotten. The shame of it is that they would only check because of the smell.

So, he learned to take care of himself. He cooks for himself, he teaches himself what is necessary to live. After all, for him, you either learn quickly- or die. So that's what he did, and does to this day. He taught himself to read and how to cook- the basic skills they teach in the starting grades, he forced himself to learn through the boring school lessons.

Yes, the one thing they had not forgotten: his education. For some reason, even after they had almost never thought about him, he had always been enrolled in school.

He is grateful to them; the Hokage and red death. His… parents. No, they are not his parents. No. He had stopped calling them that long ago. Now, they are 'hokaga-sama,' and 'mother.' The word 'mother' holds no emotion for him, but he could not get rid of the title. It belonged to her- she had gone through the trouble of giving birth to him; she deserves it. His father, on the other hand, has done nothing to earn it.

The little boy, only six years of age, is Uzumaki Naruto.

He has no friends. No social life. No possessions. He has nothing, except his intellect. He is far smarter than children of his age. Yes, far, far smarter, but has many problems.

Naruto sits quietly in his room, alone. He can hear them, his 'family', outside. A sharp pain hits his heart. He ignores it and touches his pencil down on the paper. The blond child may have one talent: drawing. It's how he copes. Naruto found this small, black, bound book in a dingy alley, it was trash. He tried to sketch in it, but it had only been scribbles back then. Now, it's almost magic.

He can take a simple graphite pencil and paper and turn it into a masterpiece- by his own standards. The things he draws… aren't for the faint of heart. Naruto enjoys recreating the monsters in his nightmares, ugly, disgusting things- but the little boy has become numb to them. Naruto almost… looks forward to seeing them.

He looks at his sketch; a man, no an animal, stares at him. It has dark, piercing eyes, Naruto remembers them being yellow. It is standing, showing off its ripped abs and insane muscles. His skin has dark spots all along his body, and from his eyes are two dark lines that lead to the corners of his thin lips. He has two cat-like ears atop his head and a tail. His hair is short, messy, and the only clothes are his torn shorts.

Naruto nods once, feeling confident in his sketch, before he continues onto the color.

It takes a while; he can no longer hear the happy cheers of his family outside. 'Probably in for dinner,' he thinks idly before continuing his work. The man comes together, he looks like a predator. Like you should run even if you have the slightest thought it might be him.

"It must be lonely," Naruto smiles at the thought that the monsters are all alone, just like him. Maybe, if they were real, they could have been friends. He giggles, 'Na, he would have torn my face off.' He sets down the gray and picks up the brown. It's nice to think that he could have had friends though, even if he never truly will.

His smile fades. Friends… That's such an odd word, one so foreign to him, yet so familiar. He knows what a friend is but, does not know… what it is. Does that make sense? No… perhaps not.

A friend is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard, a person who gives assistance, a patron, a supporter, a person who is on good terms with another, a person who is not hostile, and a member of the same nation, party, etc. Naruto frowns, perhaps a friend is more than that.

He will never know. Not now at least, maybe in the next life but, not this one.

Naruto sets down his colored pencil. It's finished. A dark forest surrounds the man; he is now standing on a tree, almost looking as if the viewer is a ninja he had to climb to stop. 'His skin is a darker than mine but, not brown- Wow, that sounds racist. His eyes glow in the dark, making him appear more dangerous, making a person want to run.'

Naruto feels a little pride build up in his chest as he looks down at the drawing. "Hunter." Naruto names the drawing, before closing the book. He has almost never finished a piece this quickly!

The blond boy scoops up his limited colored pencils and dumps them into a zip-lock bag. He tucks them, along with the journal, under his pillow. It's not the safest place but his parents never come into his room- let alone search it.

Sighing, he lies down, 'I don't feel like eating today.' Naruto pulls the worn sheet above his head as he yawns. Today was uneventful, the weekends always are. Tomorrow is Monday however; he wonders how it will go. The blond frowns, his brother will make fun of him. His sisters will avoid him and spread gossip. The bullies will hurt him. The girls will yell at him.

He can stay home; he has already forced himself to learn everything up until the graduation exam to become a _genin_. He only learned the stuff to impress his fa- the hokage and his mother. Neither of them has noticed. Naruto's report cards always end up in the trash, while his siblings are hung on the wall. You know, it's opposite in his family- it seems like instead of the middle child being forgotten, it is the youngest but, he is not forgotten by the bullies, that's for sure.

Really the only reason he goes to school is to catch a glimpse of his long time crush… No, not that annoying Sakura bitch, he got over her really quickly. Uchiha Itachi. Itachi comes most days to pick up his little brother, Sasuke, from school.

Naruto remembers exactly how his feelings had started too. It was simple, petty really, but Itachi noticed him, without a glare. Itachi simply waved and smiled. That's all.

It meant the world to Naruto. 'I really hope he comes tomorrow.'

If it weren't for Itachi, Naruto may not- no, no, he would not be living. The only reason he is still alive is to see Itachi for a few moments a day. Is it silly? No. It may be to you, but not to him. After all, any reason to live is a good reason. Once, he hadn't killed himself because it would have been a shame to see the cookies his siblings didn't want go to waste. He was alive for a week, eating two a day, then he had another reason to live, because it would be sad to die and not finish the school year; he learned ahead.

These reasons may be stupid to you, but not to him, and not to others who feel that death is their only way out, but his options are running out.

Naruto becomes drowsy and black spots cloud his vision. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

When he awakes, it is still dark outside. Naruto uncovers himself and slips out of bed, it's no use trying to back to sleep. He quietly walks through the halls to the restroom. The blond quickly uses the restroom and brushes his teeth. 'The tooth paste is almost gone… Damn, I'm going to have to pick some up- that sucks.'

After he finishes, he takes a quick cold shower. His family all take hot showers, but cool showers help people to wake up. Naruto redresses in his clothes, these are actually his cleanest pair. He needs to wash his others soon.

He quickly grabs his sketch pad and pencils before jogging down the stairs, looking around the living room, making sure no one has woken up yet. Walking to the door, he suddenly stops. Maybe he should eat this morning? He thins his lips, 'Just today.' Taking one last look around, he anxiously enters the kitchen. Naruto bites his lip, 'Maybe just a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl.' He cautiously picks up an apple, almost expecting a trap. Seeing nothing happen, he relaxes, and checks the fruit for bruises. After his careful inspection he smiles and jogs out the front door, but not before grabbing his bag.

Maybe he had thought right. Maybe today will be better.

Naruto edges around the village on his way to school. He prefers to look at the forest than large buildings. The creatures of the forest have already become well aquatinted with him; they no longer run when he walks past them.

He checks his bag. It's a messenger bag- but be brings it almost everywhere. He flips open the top, his drawing pad is safely tucked inside. Next to it are his limited set of colored pencils and an eraser. Naruto closes it when he sees the school.

'Another day of torment.' He steps out of the tree line and into the small clearing in the back of the building. Causally, Naruto strolls to the front door. The blond had taken a nice, long walk this morning, so it was about time for his siblings to arrive.

"Hey Idiot!" Speak of the devil. His older brother, Katsu, calls him, but Naruto just ignores it. Katsu runs to his friend, Kiba. Those two strong-headed morons get along fantastically. After rough-housing for a few minutes they try to get Sasuke's attention- well, they try to annoy him.

Naruto's two sisters, Narami and Masami, don't speak to him. They run over to their 'friends,' Sakura and Ino. Masami doesn't really like them, but she sticks with Narami to keep her out of trouble.

Masami is very beautiful in Naruto's opinion. Not in a weird way, he just thinks she is pretty. She has beautiful red hair, his favorite color, and shimmering violet eyes. She is smaller than the others, but also taller than he. Masami is also the strongest out of his siblings based on what he has seen.

Narami has blond hair, like himself, but her hair is long and kept in two pony tails. Her eyes are blue, like his, but not as deep… They are a lighter shade. She is almost as tall as Katsu, but not quite. She seems like the weakest.

His brother… well, he has a mix of the hair colors, some red and some yellow. His eyes are more blue than purple. Katsu's hair is kept slightly longer than Naruto's (cannon Naruto hair); he can't stand having longer hair though.

He shakes his head and turns his attention to the screaming horde of girls. Naruto can just make out Uchiha Sasuke, the heartthrob of the school. 'He is cute.' Blushing, Naruto storms into the building, class will start any minute.

Today will be different.

The sensei glares as he enters the room. Naruto ignores him and takes a seat in the back of the class, as usual. "Naruto." He looks at his sensei.

"Sit in the front." He glare hardens.

Naruto blinks in surprise; they had never made him sit anywhere before. He picks up his bag and takes it to a seat in the front near a window. The teacher continues what he was doing. Not soon after his classmates file in.

Katsu sits in the back, where he normally sits, and his sisters sit on the other side of the room. Naruto ignores Sasuke as he sits down next to him. This is just great. His bully next him. 'Fan-fucking-tastic. Why couldn't Sasuke sit by Shikamaru? It's because he is a good girl repellent, hu? Yea… that's probably it. Bastard.'

Class starts and, as usual, the kids yell out remarks about his grades and how dumb he is. Naruto isn't dumb; he just let his grades go because no one cares. Why even try? Each class is the same; kids make fun of him, the teachers call on him for stuff they know he isn't going to answer, the class laughs, and repeat.

It is wearing him down; he had really wanted today to be different.

"Class dismissed!" Naruto sighs and collects his things- the other kids just run out of the room like monkeys. He doesn't blame them though, recess is fun. The other kids play games like soccer and tag; he, however, sits in the shade and draws.

Naruto does not even look at the other children as he strolls to his usual drawing spot. He sits in the small dirt spot where the earth had been packed, allowing him to be there and not get his butt dirty. Pulling out his drawing pad, he thinks of his dream last night; drawing the creature should be fun. He quickly sketches out its basic shape, before refining it. Then he goes to the details, the eyes, the mouth, etc.

As he erases an error, a ball lands close to him. Looking up from his sketch, he sees Katsu and Kiba running after it, while the kids playing soccer watch.

The ball is kicked into his side, presumably by his brother- Naruto ignores him, and goes back to his drawing. "What are you doin' loser?" He ignores Kiba's question. Katsu doesn't like that response.

"HEY! Don't ignore us!" he yells. Everyone looks over, including Sasuke and the teachers. Naruto flinches but just shakes his head and tries to finish his sketch in peace. Why do his brother and his friend have to make everything a big deal?

Suddenly, his book it taken from him, "Give me that!"

Naruto looks up panicked, that's the one thing that's his own- Katsu will destroy it! "Wait-!" He tries to speak.

"Aww, does the baby want his book?" The kids laugh in the background.

Naruto frowns, "Please- just, give it back," he tries to reason with them timidly.

"You talked!" Katsu takes a few steps back and examines the book. Naruto silently thanks the gods for letting it shut. "This piece of garbage must be im- important!" Naruto feels a sharp pain as Katsu calls his book garbage- It's not garbage... it's precious to him. Katsu grins, "Maybe I should keep it."

Hearing that, Naruto's eyes grow wide, no- he wouldn't! "Just- give it back!" he tries again weakly. Katsu laughs at him and refuses. "Give. It. Back."

"Don't act all tough, you loser!" Katsu waves the book in front of Naruto. "Maybe I should throw it in the river or how about the trash- it's where you both belong." Kiba laughs. The kids playing soccer laugh. The girls laugh. Sasuke chuckles. The teachers do nothing.

Naruto growls, "Give. It. BACK!"

Katsu drops the book; everyone is silent. Naruto pulls his fist back to his side. They all look at him at shock. Katsu lays on the ground, looking up at him in confusion. Naruto says nothing; he just picks up his book and walks inside. He had ever made an act of violence before- he had never even looked like he was going to fight back. Even while being beat up by bullies- never. Not even the teachers know how to react.

Naruto walks calmly to the library- no one goes in there, except the librarian. He can continue there. Naruto sits at a lonely table and opens up his book. It has a little dirt on the cover, but nothing a slightly damp rag won't fix. He lets out a sigh of relief.

After finishing some basic shading, he stands and stretches. 'Time for class…' The blond tucks his things away and heads to class when a small book suddenly catches his eye. Naruto strolls over and stops in front of the little book. It is worn and very old- it doesn't seem as if someone has taken it out in forever. He grabs the book delicately, as though it will fall apart in his hands. Looking over his shoulder and seeing no one, he slips the book in his bag.

He has never stolen before, nor had he punched anyone before- today is very different indeed.

This time, he jogs out of the room and to his class. When he enters, everyone stares at him. 'Great.' Naruto takes the first open seat that just so happens to be in the middle of the room and next to Sasuke, again.

The teachers say nothing to him- and the students continue with their insults. Everything is normal, surprisingly. That is, until his brother stands. "GET DOWN," he shouts as everyone in his class retreats under their desks- but, before Naruto could move, _it_ happened, a giant explosion of color. Neon and rainbow paint mixed with glitter covers the room, ceiling to floor. The blond wipes paint from his eyes and looks down at himself in horror.

"SENSEI! NARUTO DID IT!" Naruto doesn't care about his class mates; he checks his bag to make sure nothing had gotten ruined. His pencils are fine- but his book… the paint had started to seep in, the cover will be beyond repair- but the sketches and drawings should be fine. Luckily, the book he had stol- borrowed was not damaged in the slightest.

Their sensei glares down at Naruto. The kids had convinced him that Naruto did it- that it was further revenge for his book. Their sensei didn't think twice about it.

The whiskered blond trudges through the streets with the sensei leading.

The villagers glare and whisper things under their breath. "Demon, what did it do this time?" A pang hits his heart. "I bet the monster killed someone." "No, if it did, he would be dead already!" Naruto flinches. "It should just die." Naruto blocks them out; he recedes into his own mind- trying to stop the hateful words. 'Why does everyone hate me?'

It feels like an eternity, but they finally reach their destination: the Hokage tower.

Naruto tries his best to stand straight as his sensei enters to speak with his father first.

Soon- too soon- his teacher walks out and watches him enter the room. Naruto is stiff; he had never really gotten in trouble before- mostly because his 'parents' didn't care enough to punish him… 'But now,' he thinks, 'it's going to be very different from the other times.'

His father glares at him as he enters. Naruto tries to make himself appear smaller- maybe the Hokage won't notice him- maybe he could just disappear. "Naruto." No such luck.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" The younger blond's voice is weak and afraid- his father takes no notice.

"I am very disappointed in you." Minato's voice is like steel.

A small crack.

He leans back in his chair. "I thought you were better than this, Naruto, I truly did." Naruto looks away in shame. His heart hurts.

The crack spreads.

"Give it to me." Minato holds out his hand, "The journal, give it to me." Naruto slowly reaches into his bag and pulls out his sketch book- a feeling of dread overcomes him as he sets the book in his father's hand. The older blond does not skip a beat; he puts the book next to his desk-right over the shredder. Naruto's eyes widen- no. His throat tightens.

A chip falls.

Minato lowers his hand- the book touches the top of the shredder. "No- H-Hokaga-sama- please," but the Hokage is not listening.

More pieces fall.

The sound of ripping paper reaches his ears- his eyes burn- his body wracks with pain. The older male does not care, he pushes the book through- forcing it to shred faster. Hot tears run down Naruto's cheeks- they fall mercilessly, but he makes no sound.

His heart shatters.

Once the last of the book falls into the bin Minato turns back to him. "You are not allowed to leave your room for three months and no dinner during that time." Minato observes his son for a moment, "Understood?" Naruto does not respond. "Understood?" The words come out much harsher this time. Wordlessly, Naruto nods. He silently leaves the Hokage office and travels back to his home- ignoring the glares and words of the villagers.

Naruto enters the house and mechanically walks up the stairs to his room. He closes the door silently. The blond pulls off his paint-stained bag and stares at it for a moment, before throwing it against the wall. He runs to his dresser to get _it_ \- he needs to relieve himself, but he stops.

Something catches his eye: his reflection. In the window, he can see himself covered in paint and glitter, but that's not what he is looking at. His eyes- His eyes are dead- empty. Just like his existence.

He has no reason to live. He will not see Itachi for months- and the elder Uchiha has a girlfriend. Naruto had tried to deny it, but it's true. Itachi would never love him. He is useless- nothing. No one could love him, not even his own mother.

The blond walks out of the room; he needs to clean up. Entering the bathroom, Naruto undresses and steps into the bathtub. He turns on the hot water- not caring about its affects. Once all the paint is gone, he dries off using the same towel from this morning and travels back to his room.

He dresses minimally, wearing only a t-shirt, underwear, and shorts. Now, standing next to his bedside table, he pulls out something, a kunai. Naruto handles it as if it were a delicate flower that could fall apart with the slightest touch.

The floor boards creak as he pushes himself onto the bed. Naruto traces his scars; he runs his fingers along his new- and old- wounds, the ghost pain makes him shiver. He sets the kunai on his soft skin. Naruto applies a small amount of pressure, but then remembers something: the book. He turns towards his messenger bag; the book lay a foot away.

Biting his lip, he removes the kunai. He will have another chance to do this- but he may never have another chance to read his book. 'I can do it after I read the book.' Setting the kunai down on the bedside table, Naruto slides out of bed and picks up the book.

Laying back down he reads what the book is about, 'Gods?' Naruto opens up to a random page, he isn't really interested in gods, but maybe he should at least read about one god. ' _The God of the Forgotten_?' Naruto smiles a little, 'Sounds like the God of the Forgotten was forgotten.' He keeps reading; it says that he had been prayed to a long time ago, but as of three hundred years ago, no one has prayed to him- not once. The book also claims that the god tries to make it up to the forgotten- through a second life.

Naruto closes his book. He had spent thirty minutes on that section- it's time to do it; the book takes the place of the kunai on the table. Naruto sees his reflection, it's time to go.

He places the kunai on his skin once again. Tenderly, he makes the first cut. He winces from the pain, but it soon fades when he sees the blood. It bubbles from his skin and runs down his wrist to the floor- and with it, goes his emotions. 'So pretty….' His blood shimmers beautifully in this limited light. It captivates him as the liquid ruby runs down his arm much quicker with another cut.

Without hesitation, the other wrist receives two quick slashes and more of his beautiful life essence flows out. Naruto can feel himself numb- it's amazing. Emotional pain evaporates with each slice and he knows the more he makes the quicker the pain of living will be over, too. Black spots cloud his vision as the kunai falls to the ground, but Naruto neither realizes it has slipped from his hand nor that it has made a clatter on the floor. His mind becomes blank so he does not recognize that his body has tumbled from the bed. The whiskered child's mind is elsewhere.

'I will be free,' is his final thought; he knows no more.

Where is he? Naruto's mind strains- hadn't he died? Maybe this is limbo… Black spots fade out of his vision, allowing him to look at his surroundings.

Black.

Everything is black- he's suspended in the nothingness, completely alone.

A rough old voice calls from the darkness "Uzumaki…. Naruto…" The whiskered boy turns to the voice, expecting to be taken by the Shinigami. However, a frail man in a mask floats forward instead. 'The god of death looks… dead?' The man chuckles painfully, "I…," he rasps, "am the god of…," cough, "the….. forgotten'"

Naruto's eyes widen, someone had remembered him- even if it was the god of the forgotten, it was someone. "Life…," the god pauses to breath, "has tried to be… fair…" Anger builds up in him- how _dare_ he say something like that- Naruto opens his mouth to shout at the god- but is interrupted. "The gods… have dammed you…."

That came as a surprise. "The god of death… took…," he pauses to breath, "took the love anyone…. could feel for you…." The blonde's heart constricts painfully, "in exchange…. for your father's life."

"Why…?" The word comes out barely a whisper. Pain thunders through his body, 'Why did this happen to me?'

The god takes a moment to reply, "Because… he sealed the Kyuubi… inside of you…" Naurto's eyes burn. "The seal… would have killed him." It explains everything…. everything. O-god, how could he be so stupid!  
" **Monster"  
"It should just die"  
"Demon fo-" "Don't speak of it!"  
**All the harsh words…the name calling- all the glares, the beatings- everything!

The old god makes a noise, "You… are not the kyuubi…," he pauses, "just it's container." Naruto nods, this is a lot to take in.

"I'm… going to break a lot of… rules." The whiskered child blinks in surprise. "I'm… going to… b-bring you back to life… I… don't have a lot of power…" Naruto is confused, 'what's happening?' "You will have powers when… you awaken…"

'P-powers? What's going on?' "The gods have turned a blind eye to you… they will not notice." The man is getting weaker with every word. His skin is barely hanging on his bones and his kimono is old, dirty, and torn. "Make a village… they will love you…support you…" His voice is strained, barely comprehensible.

"But-" He has so many questions. What is his power? How does he use it? Why isn't he dead? What is he supposed to do now? Make a village? He's six! How is he supposed to do that? Will his family ever get back the ability to love him? Naruto's mind fogs. What…?

The oldman fades back into the darkness.

"I'm sorry."

Jolting forward, Naruto breaths heavily- what? He quickly forces himself up and looks at his cuts- they are all healed over. There are, however, still large scars where the cuts once where. He slumps- even the blood had been cleaned up. Does that mean it was real and not some before death hallucination? Cautiously, he looks around his room- his bag is beside him- and no longer doused in paint. His room looks cleaned as well- and the Kunai is nowhere to be seen.

Naruto pulls his bag into his lap and flips it open with care. He looks inside, and tries desperately not to cry. His drawing pad is in there- not a drop of paint on it. Quickly he pulls it out and flips through the pages- everything is there. Every drawing every sticky note he took from the teacher- everything. The blond wipes his eyes and sets the book down next to him.

Next, he pulls out a flat metal tin. Furrowing his eyebrows, he flips open the container, inside is an array of colored pencils- more than he had ever owned in his life. His lip trembles but he continues looking through the bag.

The only thing left is the little book he stole- but it looks new. Reading the first page he gasps; the god had changed the book into a guide for his powers. Not bothering to get on the bed, he flips to the first page.

He closes the book. He can't read past the first page. It says… It says he can create things- life and materials. " **Make a village"** Is this what the man meant? He wants Naruto to just _make_ a village. The suspense is agonizing; he quickly continues reading.

By the time he gets to the end of the written pages, the sun had lowered significantly in the sky. He leans back against his bed. This… this is amazing- he can create whatever he wants just by thinking about it- the only thing he has to worry about it chakra.

This could work… Naruto feels a smile tug at his lips- this- he could- he could get out of the village make his own where people would care about him! Naruto can feel a little happy laughter bubble up- For the first time in what seemed like forever, Naruto laughs- truly happy.

He could be free! He could do whatever he wants! He- he can be the Kage- his dream- he could become a Kage! Naruto's dream could be realized! 'I can!' His small smile turns into a face splitting smile. One of the worst days in his life- turned to the happiest.

But… his 'family'… what about them? The book had said they might be able to get their love back if he waited long enough… His smile falters. Biting his lip he makes a decision, Naruto will stay in this village and travel to and from it at random intervals. He can run his village- and still be in Konoha!

A smile blooms across his face once again.

Today was truly different.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto peers in the living room- no one in sight, Operation Village is a-go! What? He's six give him a break, names aren't really his thing. The blond sneaks to the door, and takes one last look around, just to be sure. Finally, bag around shoulder, he stalks out into the night.

It's almost comical, he can go out whenever he pleases, but because his siblings are almost immediately caught even if it's just to go to the bathroom. The Hokage scared Katsu so bad once, Katsu pissed himself. Naruto giggles at the memory.

He walks into the forest, now he needs to figure out how to get over the wall… wait. Du! Naruto speeds up, 'I can just grow a tree and climb it!' It takes about an hour of running, but he finally makes it to the wall. His legs hurt now… He can take a break when he gets out of range of the guards. The whiskered child pulls out the book about his powers and rereads about growing things. Nodding, he picks up a pine cone.

'Okay… now put some chakra into it!' Naruto focuses his chakra into his hand, and allows it to flow into the pinecone. 'step two… will it to grow?' His face falters a little. How is he supposed to do that? Sighing, he puts the book away, he's gonna have to improvise.

Naruto closes his eyes, imagining a tree growing, from a tiny green sprout, to a small sapling. He imagines the roots growing- and then the tree growing quickly into a massive tree. Naruto reopens his eyes and frowns. Nothing happened. Well, it had been a pretty lame attempt.

He pulls the book back out, 'Maybe I missed something. No. Just will it. Great!'

He hears some creaking, ripping almost. He looks to the side, a small tree pokes from the ground. Naruto slips the book back into the bag. Did he do that? He kneels down to observe the quickly growing sprout. It stops about at his height. It's not as big as he had wanted…

Without warning, the sapling shoots up- ripping the ground up with it. Naruto grabs the tree trying not to fall in the quickly forming holes- that proved to be a mistake. Soon, the whiskered child it is lifted 75 feet (about 7 and a-half stories) into the air. Naruto looks down; the tree had stopped growing with him only about a foot from the top of the wall.

He lets go and smiles, he had done it! Naruto had succeeded in using his powers for the first time! A broad smile threatens to split his face- Imagine what else he could do! He look up the tree, it goes far into the sky, towering above all other foliage in the forest. Naruto looks down at himself, and whines a little. His clothes are dirty! 'Aww… and god-jiji and cleaned all of them… O-well.' He can wash them off later- a little dirt isn't a big deal.

His moment of victory is short lived- "What the hell was that!" He can hear ninja approaching- "I don't know…" Naruto looks around franticly for somewhere to hide- From his other side he hears another ninja, "It came from inside the wall!"

The whiskered child can see ninja on either side of him; dark figures. "Halt!" Naruto pays no attention to them- his heart thumps wildly in his chest. 'What do I do!?' Then, he looks down at his hand- he still has a pinecone. 'I hope this works!' he screams in his mind. Naruto runs to the edge of the wall and leaps off. The ninja shout at him. 'Please. Please. Please. Please save me!' He freefalls gaining speed after each second in the air. Suddenly, the pinecone explodes. Branches shoot out from the cone and embed into the wall. Naruto hit's something- hard. He releases the cone in shock. Feeling something under him, he opens his eyes- he is on a giant wooden platform with roots hanging to the ground.

The ninja run down the wall after him, so Naruto wastes no time in sliding down to the ground via root. As soon as his feet touch the ground he takes off into the forest. His legs still hurt, but the ninja should be chasing him, it is very unlikely they stopped- he knows better than to hope that they aren't coming, hope is a false belief that only leaves you with disappointment.

It's impossible to tell how far he had been running. The wall had disappeared from view, and the ninja had seemed to give up the chase. Collapsing, he allows himself a well-deserved rest. While he lay, his mind wanders. How far is his village going to be? It may take days for him to get back and forth! Once he gets back to Konoha he will have to travel back to his village!

He sighs, 'Maybe it won't be so bad.' He could get a horse or something… But for now, he needs to get as far away as possible from Konoha to make his village… or… start it at least. And, food shouldn't be an issue; he is, after all, used to starving for days without anything at all. Naruto did bring three apples, and a canteen of water- just to be safe.

Naruto shifts himself into a sitting position. His legs have gone numb but maybe he can walk again. Shakily, he stands, 'I need to keep going.' Three months… that's how long he can be out here without interruption. After that, he needs to be seen every once and a while. He will not waste this chance! Maybe he should get in trouble more often?

No… That may ruin the small chance that the village will get their love for him back. Naruto takes the first test-step, he feels fine- so he begins walking in a random direction. 'Shitty Shinigami. Why would the god even want that? I mean, what's the point?' Why was taking his love so important? And- did his father give it to him- or does he not know? So many questions… The whiskered child silently curses that the forgotten-jiji didn't tell him. It was kind of important! 'I hope he's okay…'

The God of The Forgotten said he was going to break a lot of rules… He better be ok! To have one of the only people- well, god – to ever notice him die or be punished is awful…

The blond looks around, hmm… perhaps he should have brought a map? A small lightbulb goes off in his head- he pulls out his sketch book and flips to the back page. Taking a look around, he quickly sketches out a tiny area on the page.

'Now I won't walk in circles!' Blushing he thinks, 'well… maybe.' He continues, occasionally looking around to sketch out where he is. Once Naruto gets almost to the edge of his page, he looks up to check the time. The sun is pretty low in the sky considering he left at night. 'Wow… I was walking for a long time!' How did he not notice? O well, can't do anything about it now.

Looking around, he decides to continue for a little longer, it's not too late- he can just go until he gets to the end of his page. Everything looks so different- the different patterns in the trees, the noises, he feels bad for making the forests in his drawings all so basic.

His pencil reaches the end of the page, Naruto looks back at the sky, the sun has disappeared- he should definitely stop now. Running at the nearest tree, he climbs it, dragging his bag with him. Settling on a sturdiest branch well off the ground, he hangs his bag on a smaller broken branch stump, checks to make sure it's secure, and lays down.

Now, he can go to sleep safely. He has had to do this numerous times, actually. It's ridiculous. Who, in their right mind, would stay in the forest for days under a tree waiting for him to come down? The crazy villagers apparently! The second day of punishment comes to a close as the whiskered child's mind hazes.

"Sweet dreams"

…..

Minato sits at his desk, carefully reading over documents and signing them. The damn council will try and pull shit if you doesn't read the shitty documents thoroughly. He signs another accursed document and sets it in his 'finished pile.' Childish name, he knows, but what else could he name it?

A chakra signature appears before him, but he ignores them. "Hokage-sama!" This better be good, he is almost done with this stack!

"Speak." His tone is not inviting.

The ninja goes ridged, "There was an intruder Hokage-sama." The man does not have good news.

The Hokage does not look up from his papers. "Report."

"The man was… leaving the Village and from what it seems, he had been using techniques similar to that of Hashirama Senju." The Ninja waits for a response.

Minato stops writing, "They were in the village?" The ninja nods. The elder blond looks up, "What would make you believe they had abilities similar to that of The First Hokage?"

"W-well," He can feel the killer intent radiating off of the forth Hokage, "Hokage-sama, to escape they grew a tree and materialized wood, out of thin air." Minato glares, what if the man had come here to hurt his family? Or maybe he is from Danzo, Orochimaru? It does not matter.

He instructs the man to take two ANBU squads with him, to try and persue the intruder. The Ninja will need to have his and his team's memories scanned. If it really was the same abilities as Hashirama, they could be in trouble, and there is no telling who the person worked for, or even how they managed to get into the Village unnoticed. A spy perhaps? This could be dangerous, potentially lethal.

If they are working for Orochimaru, they may be his next body, and that in itself is deadly. No telling what he could do with that kind of power. He could destroy the village with the power he currently possesses, and with the wood release he could be a challenge. That's saying a lot considering Minato sealed the nine tails.

Danzo. If its Danzo this problem could become political and considering the power he possesses in the council, making an enemy of Danzo is a very bad move. Not only that but the elder 'cripple' is very secretive about ROOT, always dodging question or giving the minimum information required. The sneaky bastard is almost as bad as Orochimaru.

Minato rubs his tired eyes. Why did this have to happen now of all times?

…..

Naruto yawns, that was a great sleep! He swigs his legs over the edge of the branch, grabs his bag from the stump, and climbs down the tree. The blond scraped his hand a small bit, but it's nothing to worry about.

Pulling out his journal, he turns to the page before the map he made- it's probably inaccurate but hey, it's better than nothing- and starts his journey again. Quickly looking up at the sky while he walks, he notices that, it isn't all that light out- and the sun is barley in the sky. 'I slept in late!' Panicking for a moment, he picks up the pace; he never wakes up with day light out! The whiskered blond only gets about three to five hours of sleep. Maybe it's because of all the activity? That's probably it.

The further he walks the more tired he becomes, but he does not stop walking. Knowing his father ANBU will be coming any day now… So stopping could mean the end. Though, Anbu could get him anyway, it's not like he is, compared to ANBU, in any way fast. He can outrun villagers who are involved in track, but an ANBU? There is no way.

He glances up at the sky from his 'map.' It's past noon, about 6 maybe? Yeah, that sounds right. He will need to stop in a few hours to sleep, but he can probably get a few more miles in… if he is actually getting miles away from Konoha. The trees are becoming different and more condensed- but slowly. Maybe he is walking miles.

Clearing his mind of those thoughts, Naruto gets back to his map. Time passes, Naruto collapses against a tree, he has been walking _forever_. 'A small rest won't hurt, right?' This is a bad idea, it's about time for him to get into a tree and sleep, but his body does not seem to care at the moment. Legs, arms, hands, and feet they all hurt from the walking and drawing. Who knew that your arms can get tired so fast?

His eyelids become heavy, 'Maybe a few minutes wouldn't hurt, then I can get into a tree. Yeah… just a…' His eyelids drop, 'a few….' His vision blurs, 'minutes…' The whiskered child's eye lids shut, and he is brought into the land of dreams.

Thundering, that's all he can describe, pattered thumps and… a screech? Naruto forces open his eyes- Only to be confronted with a monster.

 **A massive spider, as tall as the Hokage office approaches him. It has sleek, black legs that can pierce the finest metals. Its body is thick, with a massive rear. Its eyes glow in the dark a strange blue color. All across its body, blue-like lights illuminate it. Naruto watches the creature in awe, it's… beautiful, oddly so. Most children would run at the sight of a creature so terrifying, but not Naruto. He sees these creatures every time he closes his eyes.**

A small spider crawls onto the blonds hand.

 **Naruto notes every detail, making sure not to forget anything- not its size, nor its color or shape. Biting his lip, Naruto stands and runs adjacent to the creature. Then, he turns, in an attempt to see the monsters back markings. He does notice one thing in particular; the spider has no hair on its body- at all.**

The tiny spider grows fatter, bigger. The small hairs on its leg fall out and onto the blond's hand.

 **Another notable feature is the markings that seem to go in rows down the monster spiders back to where the web comes from. He makes a small mental note to look that up when he gets home.**

As the spider grows, bright blue spots appear on its back, they almost appear to be glowing.

 **The spider turns to face him, looking ready to kill. Naruto stumbles back- the spider is quick. Just feet in front of him, the monster raises a leg, aiming to kill. Pushing aside fear, he yells, "Let's be friends!" The creature stumbles back, almost as if struck.**

The spider has a small spurt of growth; it takes a step off of the blond's hand.

" **I-I'm sorry!" Naruto gets on his feet, "I didn't mean to scare you." The spider does not listen, it retreats into the darkness, leaving Naruto alone.**

The spider crawls away. Naruto's eyes crack open, what a strange dream… They never run away, but he had never asked one to be his friends before either. Standing, he looks between the trees, it's still dark, but it looks as if the sun will be rising soon.

He hesitantly pulls an apple from his bag. 'I should probably eat…' He is all skin and bones walking like he's the most fit person in the world- not smart. Taking a bite, he starts walking. No use in staying in one place for too long. Naruto expertly balances his book on his arm with his apple.

It saddens the blond knowing he will not be able to draw the spider, at least not until he is far enough from the village. Unconsciously, he walks quicker. Then he can try out his new pencils! He can't help but smile at that; he should be able to do much better coloring and shading with these.

As the sun slowly rises in the sky, the blond starts to feel a little pain in his legs, it's a mystery how the pain always disappears after a night's sleep. Perhaps it's the Kyuubi? But if the demon is sealed, how would it affect him? So many questions… 'I wish I had the answers…'

Hours pass; Naruto rubs his forehead, he needs a break. Sitting on a large rock he thinks back to earlier, something- or someone was fallowing him. He could hear them moving behind him and above him- but who? Who would merely watch as the Hokage's 'son' leaves the village? And, if they hate him, why not just kill him? Maybe they want to see him starve to death- maybe they are a guard from the wall? That may be it. Watching to see him use his powers again; yeah, that must be it.

'Too bad.' Naruto pulls out his canteen, it's getting low, he will need to refill it soon, but for now, he takes a small drink. The whiskered child pulls out the core of the apple he finished not so long ago. Seeds, he needs the seeds. He picks the small black seeds from the fruit, and tosses the core to the ground. Some animal will eat it, no reason to carry it around.

As much as he wants to stay, he cannot. Naruto slowly easies himself into the standing position, trying not to hurt his sore legs. He grabs his bag and prepares to head back out- he stops, however, when he hears rustling in the bushes behind him. Naruto makes no sudden movements, trying to look unappealing to whatever maybe hiding. It does not work.

A low growl erupts from the throat of the animal as it steps out of the bushes. A wolf- a starving wolf and it has friends. Four more wolves accompany the first, foaming at the mouth. Naruto keeps calm as he, very cautiously, turns his body to face them. They growl and snap at him, intending on making him their next meal.

He steps back knowing that if he doesn't do something he is going to end up being a snack. What can you do against wolves? They are not as predictable as people- and they can do a hell of a lot more damage with a single attack. A black wolf stalks forward, passing the 'leader.' He has no time to react, the wolf jumps on him, knocking him to the floor. The beast aims for Naruto's face, in response Naruto brings his arms to protect himself- a fatal mistake.

The wolf grabs onto his arm and bites down viciously, tearing through skin and breaking the bone. The whiskered boy yells out in pain as the wolf pulls and shakes his arm, trying to rip it off. Following the lead, the other wolves surround him- One grabs his other arm, another bites his thigh. Another helps the first with his arm.

Searing pain shoots through his body, he is going to die.

The final wolf attacks Naruto's leg, breaking his ankle. Fear, pain, it's a blur. Grey, black, green, and-red swirls around in his head. The pain in his arm had stopped- but his stomach feels as if it has been ripped open, perhaps it has.

It's ironic. When he wants to die, someone saves him- yet when he wants to live, this happens.

The final thing he remembers it hearing a scream. What it his own? Perhaps someone who saw him? That is irrelevant now.

Darkness. Nothing. Empty. Where is he? Why is it so dark? Why is he here? Wolves. Naruto's dead. Feeling dread, he forces down his tears. This was his new beginning and he blew it.

"Brat!" an angry voice yells at him. 'Shinigami?' "Open your fucking eyes!" His eyes are closed? Naruto's eye lids are heavy but he manages to open them a crack. A growl is heard from behind him; the blond turns back to see a massive cage with bars bigger than temple pillars. Standing, he approaches the cage, "Wha…" before he can see what lies behind the massive bars, his mind becomes fuzzy.

"Be thankful kid, our time has been cut short." The voice is soft, "May we meet soon." The blond cannot respond, he is suddenly aware of whining and growling. Slowly opening his eyes, the blond sees blurs of black, white, grey and blue. His eyes fall in and out of focus. As his eyes focus he sees a white spun sack, and the wolves are fighting… what? He cannot see.

A screech reaches his ears, the wolf that attacked him first tries to limp away, but tumbles to the ground, tacked by a… His eyes blur once again, his is becoming acutely aware a pain shooting through his body. He cracks his eye open. Only one wolf is fighting now- It's fighting a spider.

The spider from his dream?! It has the same pattern, the same shape, everything. Naruto forces his body to move, he can't survive the wolves and die from a spider! He turns which proves to be a mistake, Pain shoots through his body, making his muscles lock up and move involuntarily. Letting out a pain yell, the whiskered child watches in fear as the spider wraps up the last wolf. It crawls over to him, this is the end.

It does nothing. The large spider just watches him, waiting for him to do something. Naruto watches the spider as it crawls on him, the monster spider seems to, almost, be looking for injuries, but that's absurd.

Naruto slowly picks himself up as the spider retreats into the woods. The pain is still there, but duller than before- and it seems like he had taken no damage from the wolves. The blood surrounding him, however, seems to give a different idea. Had he been injured and then healed?

Looking at the white sacks, he realizes the wolves are not dead. They are wiggling in their confines, trying to escape. He feels bad for the wolves- yes, they had tried to kill him, but they were starving… and, after all, it is their nature- he probably came onto their land! The blond child picks himself up, his body protests, but he ignores it. The spider will be coming back; it wouldn't just leave food would it?

Biting his lip, Naruto makes a decision; he will not let the wolves die. Carefully, he approaches them while looking around for the spider. He reaches out, and tries to grab the silk. The spider jumps out of the tree above, hissing at him. The whiskered child stumbles back onto his butt, and prepares to be attacked again, but nothing happens.

He hesitantly opens his eyes, the spider stands in front of him with a few smaller white sacks behind it. It drops the sacks and stands in front of him, keeping him from the wolves. It's not hostile, not yet, at least. "Please…" Naruto tries to reason with the thing, even though it is pointless, "They were just hungry." Not responding, the spider still guards his meal. "Please… friend, let me help them." Friend… Why had he called the spider that? It clearly does not understand him.

Much to his surprise, the spider makes some, 'grumbling noises' then takes a few steps back. It seems to be allowing him to release the wolves. It is not happy about it. Slowly, he reaches out to the sacks, making sure not to startle the wolf or the spider. He pulls on the thread, but it does not budge. The whiskered child pulls harder, until finally the first threads unravel. The wolf is released; it pays no attention to Naruto and untangles himself.

When the wolf does notice him, however, it immediately begins growling, ready to attack. The wolf never gets the chance, just as the wolf lowers himself to pounce, the spider jumps in front of Naruto, warning the wolf. It backs off.

With the first wolf being held off, Naruto releases the others. The three crawl or limp back to the 'leader', waiting for his next move. Still, the spider stands in the way of their attack, not allowing them the chance to strike.

As he releases the final wolf, it does not try to get away like the others. Instead, it just lies there. "H-hey, are you okay?" the blond whispers in a concerned tone. He pulls the rest of the web away, 'O no…' A bite mark left by a venoms creature. Naruto checks the creatures pulse and breath, "Please will be alive!" It is, but barely.

Looking back at the other wolves with sadness, he notices the small white sacks. He takes and opens them. Within them are killed animals- rabbits- they look as if they were impaled. The whiskered child settles on his knees beside the spider, "H-here-" He gently tosses a few of the rabbits over. He doesn't want to give away the spiders food, but they need it…

They savagely rip them apart, not even bothering to check the meat. Naruto looks back at the last rabbit. 'they can't have it- it's for…' He bites his lip- what can he do? Suddenly, he remembers, 'My bag!' The blond stands hurriedly, and searches around for his bag- it had been discarded in some bushes. The wolves must have pulled it off of him. Luckily, nothing inside has been damaged.

Pulling out the book from the God, he flips through the pages, hoping for anything that could help. Once he reaches the end, however, he notices something- there are more pages with writing than before. Why? He reads over them quickly, and sits back in awe of his power.

He can manipulate already living creatures? That's where the spider must have come from! But the one in his dream had attacked him, why is this one protecting him? Perhaps it had understood him. Naruto turns his attention back to the black wolf; it is more important right now.

Crawling back over to it, he looks over its wound- it has gotten worse. The blond thumbs through the book, He needs to imagine what he wants and add chakra right? Well- the book says it's more complicated than that but he is running out of options and, well, he needs to try something! He lays his hands on the wolf's chest, and pushes chakra into his hands, 'Please work!'

Skinny, frail, black.

Nothing happens.

Rippling muscles, strong-

The wolf's frail frame gains some muscle.

Thick fur, black as a moonless midnight, piercing red eyes.

It's fur becomes darker, more intimidating, as it still grows.

Massive, bigger- stronger.

Not only do its muscles develop, it's size increases, it's becoming much bigger.

Healthy- no, immune.

The wound slowly closes over, and the infected, poisoned areas repair.

Terrifying.

It's teeth become longer, sharper- his gums bleed.

These things run through his head at the speed of light. Naruto does not cut off the flow of chakra; he forces more into the wolf. Soon, he becomes dizzy, and is forced to stop. When he removes his hands he lets his eyes open- he sits in awe of his work.

A wolf twice as big as the others lays in front of him, awake. It's blood red eyes stare in to his own, unreadable. Every moment, with every breath, you can see his muscles ripple and move underneath his skin, showing off his new powerful body. The wolf's claws are no longer dull, they are sharp; they could easily rip him apart. Naruto smiles at him, and picks up the rabbit and hands it over.

It watches him, carefully. Naruto is in awe of the beast's teeth- they pierce the rabbit without trouble as the wolf takes the meat from him. The monster wolf does not bite his hand even though it had a chance- why didn't it bite him? Hearing a sudden hissing noise, he looks over to the spider- the wolves are advancing. One of the grey wolves pounces onto the spider, immobilizing it, but somehow avoids being bitten.

The whiskered child recoils- This really is it! He hears the ripping of flesh, and growling- but no pain comes. Hesitantly, he opens his eyes and gasps. The black wolf is standing almost in front of him, snarling viciously at the others, the 'leader' has massive claw marks down his side, bleeding heavily. Its hair is on edge, and now shows off a portion of his true height. It is almost taller than he is in a lowered fighting stance. How much chakra does he have to make the creature so much bigger and change it so much?

The 'leader' growls at him, trying to be dominant even with his injuries and clear defeat. The black wolf will have none of it; it snarls and snaps its jaws at them, threating them. The others back off, and even the one on the spider seems afraid. The leader does not move; it stands its ground. The bigger wolf charges and slashes the wolf down its side again, the smaller wolf turns and manages to bite the black wolf's face. This does not stop him; the alpha is pinned by the bigger wolf. It opens its jaw, and aims for the alpha's throat.

"STOP!" Naruto yells at him- "Don't kill him!" The big wolf freezes and pulls away, leaving the defeated alpha whining in pain on the ground. The whiskered blond rushes over to him, 'I-I'm still light headed- but I have to try!' Naruto places his hands on the animal's side, careful of its wounds, and forces chakra into the creature.

Heal- heal-

The wounds begin to close- but differently this time. Instead of clean like the back wolf, they are scarring.

S-stronger-

Its muscles also begin to enlarge, its whole body structure follows. Naruto can't stop himself- his thoughts just go, he has no control. His head becomes very light, and he hunches.

Bigger-

The wolf grows in size.

Naruto collapses onto his side, his chakra is dangerously low, and he has no way of restoring it. He stares the white wolf in the eyes, it looks confused; scared. The whiskered child gives the biggest smile he can muster, "It's okay…" It stays in place, just staring at him.

He struggles to get himself into a sitting position, 'I really over did it…' Naruto sighs, the black wolf had gotten the other off of the spider, and is surprisingly close to him. The spider is the first to react; it immediately runs to him. The blond's hands sit lazily in his lap, is the forest supposed to be spinning? Probably not.

The spider crawls to his hands and slips underneath them. This makes the child more aware, he blinks down at it, why is it so friendly? The back end is cold and hard, even the glowing blue spots are cold. He gently rubs it, still in his dazed state.

His world is blurred, unsure just how much time has passed, his mind slowly clears. He notices first that the sky is now darker, and then he notices the spider. He isn't afraid of it, nor is he surprised, it's just strange. A spider wanting to be pet- or touched at all for that matter is… odd. "Did I do this to you?" It makes no noise, just seems to enjoy being touched. He feels guilty- this creature hadn't asked to be like this- nor had they needed it to survive. "I'm sorry…"

A small nudge makes Naruto look to his side. The black wolf nudges him again, expectantly. Cautiously, he lifts his hand and sets it on the massive wolf's head. It leans into the touch, almost lovingly. "I'm sorry…" tears well up in his eyes- he can't do anything right! All of these animals would probably be fine if he had just stayed home. They could have caught something to eat, the spider wouldn't be like this- and, in turn, the two wolves wouldn't have needed saving.

Trickling down his cheek, the tears fall without his consent. "I should have just stayed dead…" He's six, did he really expect to make a functioning village- in what, three months? Or even start? Who would what to obey a fucking child!? And- there is no guarantee that anyone will love him back at his own village. What if this is all just a waste? His father, what if he really did take everyone's love for him on purpose? God-jiji shouldn't have wasted his power on Naruto. No, he should have waited for someone who had a chance.

The black wolf lets out a low, sad rubble. Naruto closes his eyes, letting the tears fall freely now; the wolf presses his face against the blond's cheek. 'Such a waste.'

There is a small nudge on his other arm, he does not respond. Weight is added to his arm, he looks to his other side, shyly. The white wolf leans his head against Naruto's arm, looking up at him with large eyes. "I'm sorry…" He removes his hand from the spider to rub the white wolf head.

The black wolf licks his face, Naruto smiles a little, suddenly the black wolf licks the blonds face repeatedly, almost making him fall over- "H-hey!" He tries to stifle giggles, but he ends up laughing. The white wolf joins in, until Naruto falls over with a small smile on his face. It's hard not to. The spider crawls onto Naruto's chest; Naruto pets his back.

His face is all wet now; one lick and they covered his entire face! They are so BIG. The white wolf huffs a little as he stands. He comes to a sudden realization, white wolves are not supposed to be living in forests- they would get spotted in no time, that's why they are starving! They couldn't have caught anything if they tried. He sits himself back up, "How long have you all been without food…" He looks at the grey wolves, "and the rest of your pack?" Finally, Naruto stands; the spider had jumped off of his chest and crawled under his feet. However, he becomes dizzy, and struggles to stay up. The black wolf steadies him. "Thank you…"

The wolves are defiantly bigger than himself- maybe even the size of the Hokage. How much chakra does he _have_? Taking a step, his head becomes fuzzy again, "I don't think I can walk." The black wolf whines, before lowering itself, and before the blond could question, it flings Naruto into its back. It looks at him, to check if he is ok. Naruto blinks a few times, well, looks like he's going where ever they want to take him.

He fixes himself, making sure to have a good hold of the wolf's fur. To the whiskered child's surprise, the fur is soft, almost like silk. The black wolf approaches the others, the white one follows. Naruto is amazed, he can feel the smooth movements of the animal's muscles, like magic. And he is so warm… Naruto can't help but snuggle into it.

The other wolves stand alert, ready for the new leader's orders. He simply turns to leave. "Wait! The spider and my bag." The spider drops from a tree onto the white wolf with Naruto's bag hooked around its back. Naruto reaches out and takes it from the monster spider. "Thank you." He puts the bag on and settles back down onto the wolf.

It's dirty now, but, like his clothes, that's not important.

They start to walk again, but it turns quickly into a jog. The ride is surprisingly smooth, he looks back at the regular wolves; they are barley keeping up. 'That's probably why we aren't going faster.' The blond leans into the back of the wolf again. 'tired…' his eyes begin to drop, 'so tired…'

The fourth day of his expedition comes to a close.

(I post updates on the chapters in my bio/profile. Check in to see how the next chapter is going)


	3. Chapter 3

Minato glares at the large tree beside the village wall. He had spent days trying to identify any jutsu that would allow someone to grow and control wood without The First's ability with no luck. This is not the work of the First's jutsu- if it was the tree would be a wood block, not a _tree_. Not to mention the other wooden structure on the outside, but that was defiantly not made with the ability. The wood looks as if it had grown natural- not forced to be grown.

This is concerning, if someone does have abilities greater than the First, and was within the village as a possible spy, this could mean drastic consequences. If Orochimaru gets them… Or if they work for Danzo- Fuck.

He cannot forget that the spy could have been from another village, or worked on his own. If this is the case, getting answers will be very difficult and cause more problems.

However… the person did not harm his family, no one had been hurt- the scrolls in his library where untouched. Also, in the Hokage tower, everything is where it should be. The intruder did not touch anything that most criminals or spies would have gone for first. This just keeps getting more interesting, unfortunately. 'Why can nothing be easy?'

Looking from the tree, Minato turns to Kakashi, "Report."

"We cannot locate the intruder Hokaga-sama. No trail was left; none of my dogs, nor the Izunaka dogs, could pick up or even find traces of a trail." His student seems to be with holding some information.

"And?"

"Sir, it almost seems like the forest is… protecting them, purposely covering any trail. The trees are filtering the air at an astonishing rate; any chakra has been absorbed by nature and has been made part of the nature chakra here." Minato frowns deeply, who is this intruder? They clearly have a mastery over this power they possess. This could be an even bigger threat than previously thought.

He thinks back to his family, Kushina is watching over their children like a hawk. The children are just happy to be spending time at home…well, Masami is just a little angry; she seems to actually like school. Katsu and Narami, however, are playing and being normal children. Naruto is-

His thoughts freeze. Naruto…

Perhaps he had been too hard on the boy… that was the first bad thing he had ever done… 'No, he needed to be shown that that sort of behavior will not be tolerated!' He decides to ignore the fact that Katsu gets away with worse all the time. Once his oldest boy had destroyed his room- really destroyed. Nothing was salvageable, his mattress was in shreds, his clothes where all cut up, and pages of books where turned into confetti. The walls where painted with various colors and- O god it had been such a mess. But even he was not punished so severely…

Maybe he should speak with Naruto when he gets home.

Slowly, he awakens. Warmth surrounds Naruto; he can't help but cuddle into it. Another thing, the warmth is… breathing? Cracking his eyes open, he is blinded by sudden light. What… It's morning already? The blond scolds himself; he woke up late- again!

Shifting himself into a sitting position, he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. When he reopens his eyes he sees a large black wolf- momentarily he panics, but then calms down. The wolf won't hurt him… The wolf huffs and turns itself from lying on its side to its stomach. "Good morning," Naruto says still a little sleepy.

When exactly had he fallen asleep, and when had they stopped? Hearing a small growling noise, he looks back at the light source; his eyes slowly, adjust allowing him to see a few other wolves. They look different from the ones he met earlier.

The big black wolf growls lowly at them, they all back off a little. One, clearly a female, who had been growling, trots away to puppies. The blond can't help but smile, puppies are cute! Too bad he probably won't get to see them. Mothers are very protective- they would do anything to protect their young! Smile fading, he thinks back on his own mother... she never really cared- 'No! I'm sure she would have! It- She! Her love was taken! She couldn't love me! But it will be okay... she will get her love back.' He fights away tears. Mothers love their children, and his mother will love him too! The blond just needs to be patient...

A few moments later, he feels something heavy in his lap. Opening his eyes he sees the wolf had put its head in his lap. It wines a little, "I'm okay…" The blond strokes the large wolf's head, ignoring the pain in his legs from the size and weight.

After a few minutes, the wolf stands, clearly wanting Naruto to follow. He gets up and follows the wolf out of the cave-like area where they slept, and into the sun. The puppies play off to the right a little, and the massive white wolf lay off to the left. The others are near the puppies, keeping an eye on them. Around them the trees swish in a small breeze, and small birds chirp in the trees.

When the others notice him, some look suspicious of him, but others look at him fondly- those are the ones he fed. There is something missing… "Hey, where is the spider?" The spider. That sounds so unfriendly… maybe he should name it? Ask its name? Wait, do animals- arachnids have names?

Within a few seconds of asking, something runs around his feet. The spider makes a small squeal screech noise to let the whiskered child know he is here. "Hey!" Naruto bends down to pet the spider, "I was just wondering where you were!" It makes another little noise, but this time one of pleasure.

"Um…" He says shyly, "Do…. Do you have a name?" The spider does not respond, it just enjoys being pet. Naruto frowns a little, "You don't have a name then?" Still, no real response is given. This saddens the blond a bit, "Ca-Can I name you?" He blushes; his words had been soft and small; like he had been afraid of an answer.

The spider screeches in delight, "I-is that a yes?" He smiles a little. A small warm feeling tingles in his chest. "Okay…. How about…" He looks over the spider carefully. It's blue, but color names are so lame, how about- no… Hmm… Like I said before small children are not exactly the best at coming up with names. As he continues to rub the spider, the blond gets an idea "Kosuru!" He says, "I'm not sure if you're a girl or a boy, but it means rub because you like to be rubbed!" Blushing, he realizes how loud he had been, "S-sorry." Naruto hunches over and closes in on himself a little.

The spider squeals again, "You l-like it?" It snuggles his leg affectionately. His lips tug into a small smile. The black wolf blows air out of his nose, and nudges Naruto's shoulder, quietly begging. Naruto looks from the spider to it, why did it do that? Maybe it wants a name too? At that thought Naruto brightened up a small bit.

"You want a name?" The wolf's tail swishes back and forth like an excited puppy. "Okay." Again, he isn't very good at names.

It has to be something unique- they are unique and deserve an equally special name! Rub isn't exactly a unique name but no other spider or pet will have it! Hmmm, and it can't be off-the-wall random… It has to mean something to them- it has to tell you something. A name needs to reflect the owner.

The black wolf is gentle and caring- or that's what it seems like. It hadn't been gentle when attacking, but that's instinct. The wolf IS a boy… but it seems motherly in some aspects. The black wolf had purposely gone slow for the others while the white one pulled a head, it also seemed to be determined to feed the others so it attacked when Naruto was going to run.

"Odiyaka…" He smiles fondly, "it means gentle." The wolf licks Naruto's face, happy with his name. The blond smiles brightly, "I'm glad you like it, " he whispers gently while rubbing the black wolf- now named Odiyaka. He may not be gentle to opposing creatures- but to those he loves, or at least likes- he is very gentle and caring.

Naruto looks back over the other wolves; his smile fades. They are all skin and bones- not one of them has any really muscle. Their ribs are very viable underneath their fur, and they all move slowly with their tails low. Queasiness snakes into his stomach, these poor creatures- they are starving, all of them. The puppies are even unhealthy looking.

No creature should starve- not like he had. No one should starve like he had. Balling his fists, Naruto looks down at the spider, happily standing at his side. "Can you catch something for them?" He gestures widely to the wolves. Soundlessly, Kosuru dashes into the forest, presumably going to catch a meal for itself and the wolves.

Odiyaka nudges his face to get attention. Giggling slightly, he rubs the black wolf's big head. His fur is soft- excessively so. It's like petting a cloud. It's just strange, it looks wiry and intimidating, one would not expect it to be so… silky-soft.

The black wolf lifts his head and trots off between the white wolf and the puppies. Momentarily, it stops and huffs at him, before lying down.

The blond follows after Odiyaka, sitting near him. Taking a quick look around, he brings his bag into his lap. Naruto pulls out his new colored pencils and journal with excitement. Nothing had been damaged when he was attacked- YES! Flipping to the next available page, Naruto glances at the stagnant white wolf, before looking back at his page.

He will draw the white wolf, it's laying there like the perfect model, its head is unmoving as it stares out into the foliage, and it's appealing laying pose- it's perfect!

Now… he has never really drawn a model before, only from memory- so this is really exciting. Even if the wolf moves, it will be okay- he can just draw what he remembers. He has always done it like that.

First, he sketches out a base, and then he begins with his colored pencil. Amazing- These are so much better than the ones he was using! What he had previously where some cheap kindergarten pencils. But these- O kami- they glide over the paper, making it feel like he is drawing with silk. He can get much better, and more precise, colors out of these- the originals were very hard to get proper color out of, they would break easily too- these are amazing, he can press much harder with these and not worry about them breaking!

Every few minutes he glances up at his model- checking over every detail before turning back to his drawing.

Suddenly he feels hot air on the back of his neck. Looking back, he smiles. Odiyaka tilts his head, and looks at his page curiously. The whiskered child smiles as the black wolf notices being caught; his ears go down. "You want to watch?" he asks kindly. The wolf's ears perk up and he sits down, taking the kind tone as an invitation to observe.

The blond continues, giggling every once in a while when Odiyaka's face gets closer to his after every few minutes. As soon as he finishes a small patch of dirt, the wolf's face is right next to his, looking at the page with curiosity.

The white wolf still had yet to move significantly. Occasionally he will look around, or his ear will flick, but overall he stayed very still.

Smiling down at his work, he looks over at Odiyaka, and gently rests his head against the other's. He continues his work- now, occasionally, reaching up to pet the black wolf.

Time passes, and rustling in the bushes makes the wolves alert. However, Naruto's face splits into a large grin when he sees the spider backing up in to the clearing, pulling something. Abandoning his drawing for now, he runs over to help pull the dead animal.

Underestimating the weight of the animal, he pulls- and slips. Landing on his butt, he blushes, 'Well, at least no people where around to see that.' Dusting off his pants then giving a few mighty tugs -he braced himself this time, falling once was enough, thank you- they both pull a large buck into the clearing.

The wolves look over in interest- clearly intending on ripping the buck to shreds. They lick their lips, waiting. Naruto pulls off the webbing and gives it back to the spider; they only have so much ya know! Then, he smiles over at the group of hungry animals, "Here you go!" He quickly backs away from the carcass, just so they don't think he is part of the meal too. Being torn apart once was fine; he does not need to experience that again.

They rip the deer to absolute shreds. Blood pools around the area they had been eating- and their muzzles are stained in blood. Once they all finish, a substantial amount is left over, but no one touches it. Instead, they leave it alone.

'It's for the mothers…' if he remembers correctly, wolves will partially digest food for their puppies, then throw it up for them to eat. So, after the puppies eat, the mothers will go back eat the rest.

He goes back over to his drawing, and looks it over. It is mostly done now, maybe a little more work could be done on the grass, but overall it looks better than almost everything else he has done. The new colored pencils really helped, and so did his model!

Speaking of the white wolf, where did he go? He is no longer lying where he once was, matter of fact, he isn't anywhere. The other wolves went off by themselves in a group again. The black wolf is near the cave hangover watching the blond. I mean, really, it should be easy to find a white wolf anywhere except in a snowy place.

Looking back, he jumps. The wolf is looking at the drawing of himself. 'Why do they like it so much?' It's odd… The wolf looks up, his nose centimeters from Naruto's face. Calmly- or as much as you can be this close to the mouth of a creature that may eat you- he places his hand on the head of the creature, "Hello," he says kindly.

It licks his face; Naruto giggles. The wolf comes around to his side, and lays down- it is very tall- and produces shade for the blond. He likes shade, always has. The sun is too bright and makes you hot really quickly. If he sits in the shade when he draws, he can be outside longer.

Leaning into his fur, Naruto sighs. He already finished with his drawing- for now at least, but the small but of shade is still welcomed. A few seconds later, he hears a huff- Odiyaka lays on his other side, a little jealous of the white wolf. Naruto pets him, it's awful to be jealous, he had been… he still is.

Shaking his head, the blond thinks about something else- the white wolf. "Hey…" Both look at him. "Do you have a name?" Odiyaka sets his head in Naruto's lap and out of nowhere, the spider jumps onto Naruto's back. The white wolf huffs a little, but makes no other indicating it understands.

"W-well, can I name you?" It lays its head down which Naruto takes as a yes.

Okay… so let's see. This wolf seems a little like Sasuke and Itachi- more reserved and closed off, maybe not to Naruto so much, but defiantly to others in general. He can't name it Sasuke or Itachi though! That's weird…. This one tried to- well, it did rip off his arm or that's what he remembers, so he is definitely vicious. Perhaps a scary name will be best for him.

"Satsujin?" Naruto offers, "it means murder, or homicide." It huffs, so…. That's a no then.

Well, what else- O! he was still for so long, "Heishi, It means soldier-" The white wolf groans, that name is a no too…. Naruto's chest becomes heavy, what if the white wolf disapproves all of the names he comes up with?

"How about Zō? It means statue." The wolf picks its head up, but sets it back down, uninterested. Then, Naruto gets an idea- what if he just doesn't like long names? Okay, so… short…. Short… He is _not_ naming the wolf Short, but he needs a short name.

Naruto smiles, "How about Chi?" The wolf picks up his head again, interested. "It means blood or gore- stuff like that." The white wolf tilts his head, and then licks Naruto's face. "Chi it is then!" He laughs. He was a little hesitant naming him Chi, but it fits.

Chi lays his head back down, and eyes his, now closed, sketch book. Naruto shifts, Odiyaka's head is starting to hurt his legs… but he doesn't have the heart to push him off. He rubs Kosuru's back, and Obiyaka's head- it's a little awkward, but Naruto wouldn't want it another way.

His body is flooded with a pleasant warm feeling, his eyes water. It's so strange… why does he feel like this? He has never felt this sort of thing before… Is this what love feels like? No- perhaps it's just because he is surrounded by two furry animals? Yea, maybe that's it.

Naruto can see Chi staring intently at the book, trying to will it open. Naruto holds back giggles as he picks up the book. "You want to look inside?" Both of the wolves heads go up- "I ta-take that as a yes." Nervously, he flips open the sketch book, and shows them his first few 'drawings'.

He has never showed anyone the inside of his book- no one. Not that anyone would want to look in it anyway, so he is just a little nervous. They might be animals, but they are the first creatures that have showed him any real emotion other than hate. Even when attacked he didn't feel as if they hated him, it was for survival. Most creatures will not kill another unless it is for food.

He skips the first page, however, and shows them the second. On the page is a very bad drawing of a butterfly. Granted, it is better than what most children would have done at that age, but it's still bad no matter how you look at it.

They all- even the spider, seem very interested. The pretty colors must be attention grabbing for them.

The next page is no better, nor is the one after that- but his friends seem to be enjoying them. Friends, huh? It sounds so foreign, but… it sounds right for this situation.

Naruto shows them page after page, occasionally telling them of the process or of the dream it came from. Once, the spider thought a picture of a big fly was real. That had been really funny- and exhausting, but afterward he continued to show them his drawings and sketches. About halfway through, though, he stops.

'It's dark already?' He sighs, and tells his… friends… "It's getting late; we should go to sleep." To prove his point, he yawns and rubs his eyes. Before he could stand up, the white wolf rolls over onto his side, showing his back to Naruto. The blond blinks, is he just going to sleep out here?

Odiyaka cuddles him, and licks his face. Naruto is going to protest, but then he remembers the other wolves, they don't like him. So, he would still have to sleep in the open. One of them might even kill him while he sleeps, they must know that. With a small sigh, the blond lay on his side and moves his bag so it isn't crushed.

He snuggles into Odiyaka's side, and blushes. The warm feeling is back… has it been there the whole time? Maybe he is just noticing it again now… The spider stands on Naruto's side, and makes himself at home. Not that Naruto is complaining- but wouldn't he want to sleep in a tree or something? Being in the open seems like a mistake for a spider.

His thoughts drift off, 'so warm. So soft…,' he smiles, 'maybe they are my friends.' Naruto's mind clouds, 'maybe this… will be easier than…. than… I thought.' His eyes drop, 'I could start over… Maybe… maybe I…. don't need to… to go back to Konoha, what if, if I just…. just stay in my Village.' His eyelids become heavy- 'Maybe… I should never return to Konoha.' The blond's eyes close. 'Never.' With those final thoughts, he falls into a blissful sleep, one without monsters or demons, a harmless sleep.

Naruto has never slept better.

Minato leans back in his chair; he finally has a minute to rest. All of his paperwork is done for the day, well- it's technically tomorrow at this point. It was a nightmare, his mind was in two places at once- thinking about the intruder, and his paperwork.

When he left the sight of escape, Minato returned to his office, it would be better to just get this paperwork over. He sent out the best team of ANBU available, and, not only that, but he has Kakashi's dogs, and the best trackers known to the Izunaka clan after the intruder.

Speaking of his student, the man is very skeptical that the spy will be found- he has covered his trail too well. He insisted they keep looking; it is detrimental to the village that the spy is caught.

Sighing, the elder blond realizes something, the council will want to talk about this, and no doubt Danzo will put his slimy, 'cripple' hands all over it. Even if it was a ROOT, he will play it off as if it wasn't… Most likely send ROOT after the intruder- then insist on using them for a weapon for the Village.

The next meeting will be a massive head ache he doesn't need. "Kami, What have I done to deserve this?" After a few moments, he rubs a tired hand over his face.

"Hokage-sama!" an ANBU kneels in front of his desk, waiting for the Hokage to acknowledge them.

Minato leans forward, "Report." This better be good, he can go home now, any more time spent in this building is hell.

Rising, the ANBU reports, "We have managed to find a way to track him, Hokage-sama."

"How is that, Fish?" he asks, irritated. New ANBU are the worst, they always leave out important information. Why couldn't they have sent Kakashi or a more experienced person?

"The trees have not stopped their accelerated filtering, and we have discovered that the over active trees are not allowing any sort of smells to come within a few feet of them." Minato's face hardens, "We can follow the trail of trees, but we are unsure exactly how far the trail really leads."

The blond Hokage nods, this is a major lead, even if it ends at some point, it will give them a head start. "Follow the trail, send the ANBU. Report back when you find the end of the trail, or if you find the spy." The ANBU nods, ready to leave, but Minato adds, "Do not hesitate to kill them, they are far too big a threat to let live."

The ANBU shunshins away, traveling back to the wall to tell the others about Minato's orders.

They begin their search.

Minato collects his bento box and heads for home. 'The ANBU better find the spy,' he thinks, 'if they don't, things are going to be a hell of a lot worse. Council members will be having a fit, ANBU will need to be on high alert while keeping the civilians blissfully ignorant. This… is no easy task to accomplish.'

'I hope Kushina won't be mad I stayed in so late…' Minato opens the door to his dark home.

Yawning, Naruto snuggles into the soft fur around him. His attempt to go back to sleep it cut short, however, when he remembers how late he has been sleeping in. Groggily, he sits up, and rubs the eye crumbs away.

The blond looks at the sky, the sun is low- barely sunrise from what is appears. 'It's early.' He thinks happily, it has been a few days since he woke up on time- Naruto had been afraid of making sleeping in a habit.

He climbs out from between the two wolves, stifling a giggle. Chi has not moved, but his tongue is now hanging out- and Odiyaka has somehow rolled over onto his side, and is randomly kicking and making small huffing noises. 'He's dreaming. I wonder what about? Probably killing, hunting, or running maybe?' Hmm…

Something, or someone, brushes against his leg. "Hey," Naruto whispers, "good morning, Kosuru." He rubs the spider's back for a moment, but then stops to check his bag. Things could have fallen out or been crushed… much to his surprise, everything is completely intact. The apples aren't even bruised.

He yawns again, well this sucks- Naruto's inner clock is all out of whack and it will take a while to get used to waking up at a good time. 'Good time' meaning before his family gets up so that he can wash his clothes, take a shower, and eat. To do most of that he needs a few hours, so it's necessary to get up before sunrise. Sometimes, if he has extra time, he can go out into the garden and sketch some of the flowers. It doesn't happen often, but it is amazing when he can.

The wet grass feels amazing on his feet and tickles his toes, and the glassy shimmering of the leaves on the oak trees and dew on the flower petals…. Amazing and beautiful. His favorite in the garden is the forget-me-nots, Ironic, isn't it? In all honesty, he liked them long before he knew their name. Tiny little blue flowers, the blue ones are his favorite, with bright yellow centers- they are just so-

Odiyaka barks suddenly, waking himself up- and making Naruto hold down his laugh. It was cute! Embarrassed, the black wolf just lays back down as if nothing happened. Chi, too, had been woken up and was playing it off cool, trying to pretend that his tongue was not just falling out of his mouth.

"Good morning." They both look over to him, Odiyaka looks between him and Chi, confused as to why the blond is not still cuddling with them. Chi huffs, in what Naruto is going to assume, is a greeting. The black wolf stretches, and comes over to lick his face, which of course makes Naruto giggle.

Just before he has a chance to say anything more, Chi jumps up as well, but not to greet him. The white wolf is growling savagely into the dark surrounding forest- waking up the others and setting Odiyaka on edge. Chi crutches low in an attack stance, hair standing high all the way down his back.

Slightly fearful, Naruto moves behind the black wolf, Kosuru jumps into his arms. The rustling in the bushes makes everyone tense. Then, something jumps out- a rabbit… Naruto relaxes. It's just a little white rabbit-!

Wait a second- Rabbits change their fur color depending on what season it is, that rabbit was raised in captivity! Chi scares the poor thing away, and most of the wolves relax.

Naruto, however, is standing rigged, fear building up in his chest. How could he have been so stupid!? Of course the ninja would still be after him- They are going to kill him and the wolves! No, no, no. This can't be happening. How could Naruto not remember? How could he… O god…

Trying to calm himself, he thinks up possible scenarios, 'I… It could have just been someone's pet- and they let it go…. Yea…' After a few terrifying moments, he clams down, no attack. So… it was just someone's pet. Hahaha- he had been worried for nothing!

Why would ninja still be chasing him… I mean, it is just one person, what possible reason would there be to continue a chase? Naruto's father takes security serious, but not that serious… right?

That little scare has reminded him, however, that he cannot stay in one spot for long- he needs to lose the ninja first. Biting his lip, he checks his bag again- everything is there, his drawing book, two apples, and the book on his powers.

His depression comes back like a tsunami, he is leaving his first 'friends'… he almost endangered them, he is so useless… everything he does always ends up messed up or completely ruined. The spider, still being held in his right arm, wiggles loose then pushes on his leg. Naruto frowns, and pets his back, but then turns, and begins to walk, where he presumes, it going to take him farther from the Village.

Near the edge, Odiyaka notices- he jogs over, questioning. Naruto glances over at him, and sighs, "I'm leaving." The black wolf huffs, and licks his face. When he turns to the black wolf, a lick on this other side makes him jump. Chi stands over him intimidating. "I'm leaving-" He looks down, Kosuru rubs his leg affectionately, again strange for a spider, but his thought it cut off by Chi. The white wolf breaks the tree line, and turns to look at Naruto.

"You… want to come with me?" Odiyaka licks his face, confirming his suspicion. Warmth once again bubbles up in his chest, tears sting his eyes. The happiness is cut short, however, when he remembers the rest of the pack.

What about them? Are Odiyaka and Chi really going to leave them behind? That's not fair- not to them. He can't do that… He looks back at the wolves, and is surprised- they don't care. Odiyaka is the alpha right? Why are they…. Is it because of him? I mean, these two where protecting him- the others wanted to gut him.

Sensing something wrong, Odiyaka licks his face, and nudges his side. Well, this could be for the best. They are so much bigger than the others, and because they helped him, they would be outcasts. Smiling softly, he begins to follow Chi with Odiyaka by his side.

They could help with his Village- and if they let him ride them, they will be able to get farther more efficiently. Their new found size and speed should also allow them to catch food whether the creature knows they are there or not. Possibly, they also know the area and can actually help him get away from Konoha.

Suddenly, a sharp cutting pain appears in this leg. Stumbling, he catches himself of Odiyaka, then, he looks back at what is causing him pain in his leg. It was fine moments ago-

Naruto's heart stops.

Lodged in his leg, is a…

'A kunai.'


	4. Chapter 4

**(Hello, I will post little things up here, mostly concerning why the chapter was late. I had exams this week, I had no time to write, and I have a research paper now- I may be a little slow with the next chapter or two.)**

* * *

Weasel watches the blond relax only after a few minutes following when the bunny leaves, it was surprising to see him still alarmed. Most children would be elated to see a rabbit, especially a white one.

Another slight surprise is the wolves and spider, they are much too big for their natural size, they are at least as tall as the Hokage, perhaps taller. They also seem protective of the child; this has the potential to become a problem.

Looking a little closer, Weasel notices something else; the blond child has whiskers on his cheeks. 'Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto.' He knows the small boy; he had waved once when he noticed the child was lonely.

He idly wonders if his little brother is friends with him- it is unlikely, considering his brother's attitude towards others, especially girls.

The team leader brings him out of his thoughts with sign language, "Weasel, report back to the Hokage, inform him his youngest is the spy." He nods, but something tells him to stay. Almost hesitantly, he jumps away.

The Hokage will not be happy with their findings.

Fish watches as Weasel flickers out of view, the young man is ridiculously fast, they could probably outrun the ANBU caption. Well, maybe that's a stretch.

The ANBU leader, Eagle, signs to them, "Tiger will knock out the pack, and Wolf, throw a kunai in the child's leg. Poison it." Wolf nods, understanding where their caption is going with this. If the boy can't run, he won't be a problem to capture. Even if he can still run, Konoha's special poison will make him weak and slow.

Eagle relays more commands. "Fish will go first, see how the big animals will react then we come down. Understand?"

It wasn't a question so much as a command, Eagle likes to say 'understand' so that if someone is confused, he can give them hell once the mission is over. If you can't follow or pay attention to simple instructions, you don't deserve to be an ANBU. Really, he shouldn't even be telling them anything, they should be able to communicate without speaking to each other, even in sign language.

Tiger prepares their attack, and Wolf coats his kunai in poison.

A sudden cutting pain in his leg trips him. The blond uses Odiyaka for support as he falls. It hurts like a bitch but it's nothing he can't handle, the Villagers do worse. The real questions is though, why does his leg hurt? It was fine a few moments ago.

Looking back, his heart stops. No… no no no no… It can't be. Please, please, no.

A kunai is imbedded in the back of his lower leg, and, judging from the burning sensation traveling throughout his calf, it's a poisoned kunai, a poison he with which he is familiar. This poison spreads throughout a person's body, and causes so much pain their brain shuts down, then, it will turn their white blood cells against them. This is one poison his body can't filter out, like most poisons, so if he doesn't get an antidote, he will die.

He begins to panic. This is not good, this... O god. Ninja, Konoha Ninja are still after him. They are _here_. Naruto will be caught, his father will… his family- he won't get their love back, everything will have been be a waste!

The other wolves stand, alarmed. However, they collapse on the ground moments later, presumably, dead. Chi growls at the trees while Odiyaka moves himself around Naruto, protectively. The blond holds on to the black wolf's fur desperately. If he falls, he will never get back up.

An ANBU, with a fish mask- Naruto finds this odd- lands a few feet away. Chi and Kosuru prepare to fight. The white wolf's hair stands high while his teeth are bared. His rippling muscles make him look even more terrifying, more powerful. Kosuru just stands in front ready to take on the ANBU.

After a few seconds, three more ANBU land next to Fish. Naruto leans into Odiyaka, knowing this isn't good. Perhaps they could have taken on one, but four ANBU? No, this is suicide. "Run," he whispers. The poison is draining him much faster than initially thought. The burning feeling has taken over his leg. It feels as if it's blistering from the inside, turning his blood into fire, with the Kunai yet to be removed.

The blond takes a deep breath and pleads, "Please, run…" Odiyaka glances at him for a moment then turns to Chi. The white wolf lets out a nasty growl, but the ANBU give no reaction. Naruto shivers in pain as he lets out a whimper.

Suddenly, Naruto feels himself lift off of the ground and onto something soft. The blond panics, if he lies on his side….

Once Odiyaka gets Naruto onto his back, he yips, signifying the blond is secure, before turning to run. Chi pauses to let Kosuru jump on, and then follows suit. The ANBU follow swiftly behind, not bothered by the speed.

Odiyaka dodges on onslaught of kunai; quickly glancing back to make sure Naruto is alright. The blond holds on as tightly as possible, but lying down has only quickened the spread of the poison. Now, his side burns, it feels like he had been set on fire- again, but he doesn't dwell on that thought.

"F… faster." At this pace they will be caught and killed, or perhaps worse. They need to go quicker, even if Naruto falls off, they will still get away- they just need to go faster. Odiyaka huffs, Chi runs ahead, and Odiyaka follows behind at a slightly slower pace. The ANBU should have a little difficulty now, even if they can keep up, it will be more difficult.

They blindly run through the forest, somehow dodging the ANBU and their attacks. Naruto looks back to check on their pursuers, there are only two chasing them, the other two are gone. The blond closes his eyes; perhaps the poison is just affecting his vision but that theory is proven wrong.

Two ANBU jump out from the trees, in front of the wolves, cutting them off. Odiyaka tries to slow down to turn, but it does not work. Naruto feels himself ripped from Odiyaka's back, and slammed into something painfully hard. The wind is knocked out of his lungs, but he can't feel anything else wrong except a pain in his chest.

Chi immediately runs over to the blond and stands over him, not willing to let the men hurt him. Odiyaka comes over after and leans down to make sure the Naruto is still breathing. Kosuru also checks on the boy. The black wolf turns his attention back to the men, letting out a barbaric growl far more intimidating than Chi had previously.

Fish tenses for a moment, before making a few hand signals. The four ANBU surround them, prepared to fire off an attack at a moment's notice.

"Come with us or die," Fish says without emotion. Naruto's eyes water, the poison has reached his armpit on one side, and has started to spread to his other leg. If he just gives up they will leave his friends alone, won't they? There will be no reason to… to attack them.

The blond tires to say something, but no words come out; instead only small gasping noises can be heard. The leader makes a quick hand signal, before they all flash through hand seals, preparing an attack.

Weasel had gotten back to the wall quickly, it was, after all, easier to get back after tracking rather than to do the tracking. It had taken quite some time with the child moving almost in a straight line, but randomly taking a sharp turn. After that, there was a large lag in the clean air, so, that was fun. After they found the trail again and could track the child with chakra, they had the Jounin go back to the wall.

What was her name again… Hana? Well, Hanna didn't want to leave and protested. Luckily, her mother had dragged her away. That could have ended disastrous, a loud female near sleeping wolves? They would have woken up.

Once he got back into the Village, it was not long until he reached his destination.

Now, Weasel stands in front of a less than happy Hokage.

Minato takes a slow deep breath and looks up from his paperwork. They found the man- that's why Weasel was sent back. "Report." This better be good.

Taking a deep breath he informs the Hokage of his findings, "We managed to find the spy, and it appears he has a far greater ability than previously thought." Minato frowns, but Weasel continues. "They appear to be able to mutate creatures as well as plants; it would explain the sudden growth of such an enormous tree, and the strange wooden structure." The Hokage hums in dissatisfaction with this information.

'Fuck,' Minato thinks. This is far worse than originally thought. If he does work for Danzo or Orochimaru, this could… O god, imagine all the fucking experiments Orochimaru could do with power like that- to mutate others. Danzo could do some fucked up stuff as well.

Minato speaks after his small pause, "What do they look like? Can you identify them?"

Weasel opens his mouth to answer.

 **He waves at a small, lonely-looking child; the small child appears surprised, but waves back at him shyly.**

"-"

 **Weasel waits for his little brother, and catches sight of the child again. The child looks… sad, depressed almost. Before he can call out to the child, Sasuke lunges at his waist for a hug. He chuckles a little, "How was school, Sasuke?" The little boy launches into a tangent about his 'stupid fangirls' and doesn't notice when his brother stops paying attention.**

 **The little boy notices Itachi, and smiles a little, before running off.**

Minato blinks in confusion, "Weasel, Report."

Itachi is brought out of his memories, "Yes. My apologies, the intruder is-"

 **Itachi can see the little boy out of the corner of his eye, but he tries his best to pay attention to his little brother. The little child blushes, and hides his face behind a small book, Itachi can't help but think it's… cute. Then, the little boy waves, when he thinks Itachi won't see. Itachi decides to wave back at the boy, after he waved the first time he never did wave again. However, when he turns to the boy, the blond looks like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and he runs.**

 **Afterward, Itachi had made a point to learn the child's name, so on the walk home, he asks Sasuke. "Otōto, who was the blond-"**

" **You mean Ino? She is so annoying, she won't leave me alone! Neither will that Sakura girl!"**

 **Itachi decides to stop Sasuke before the boy goes on another hour-long speech about how annoying the females are. "No, sorry, the little blond boy." Sasuke looks up at his in slight confusion.**

" **Oh…," Sasuke's face scrunches up in disgust, "him." Sasuke looks away from Itachi, "You don't want to know about him." The older raven is surprised by his little brother's reaction to the boy.**

" **Why is that?" he asks.**

 **Sasuke scoffs, "He is so weird. All he does is watch the other kids; it's like he is a stalker or something!" Itachi thinks back on the little boy. He did watch the others, but it didn't look creepy, it looked sad, like he was seeing something he didn't have. Perhaps he doesn't have parents?**

" **And his voice is so annoying! He stays away from everyone, but sometimes he tries to talk to us, everything he says is so- so- so-!" Sasuke growls in aggravation. "Now all he does is stare at that stupid book!" Itachi frowns as Sasuke crosses his arms, "There is something wrong with him."**

 **Itachi's frown deepens, "What is his name?"**

" **His name?" Sasuke glances up at his older brother for a moment before answering, "Uz-Uzuma-ki… Nam- Namikazu Naruto." Itachi is startled by this news, that boy is one of the Hokage's children. If this is true, why is he dirty all the time, his clothes all look old and worn? Itachi had also seen that Naruto is very frail and pale looking compared to the others. Why is that? Perhaps he is sick?**

 **No… they could not let a sick child attend the ninja academy, would they? Itachi doesn't think so.**

" **Thank you Otōto." Sasuke just looks confused by his brother's words, but takes the thanks anyway.**

"-unidentifiable. They had been wearing a plain mask, and a full body suit. It did appear that he has no other skills except in his power, however." Weasel says without breaking a beat.

Minato growls, "Alright, we can identify him when the rest of your squad returns." This is not good… and if his power is so much greater than previously thought, then the ANBU team could have trouble. Before dismissing Weasel, he gives another command, "Take Squad 3 back to where you found the spy to aid them."

Weasel nods, and Shunshins away.

Why had he done that… Itachi frowned deeply. He could be considered a traitor for covering up something like that, but his mouth just moved on its own. Let's just hope Naruto manages to evade the ANBU before he gets there with back up.

A small feeling of dread wriggles around in his stomach like a snake, 'You better be alright, Naruto.'

Tiger stops forming hand seals, and the one with the Eagle mask looks at his comrade in confusion.

Tiger then explodes into a mess of blood.

Eagle stops his seals, as does Wolf. Eagle tries to scan his surroundings, but someone steps out of the foliage. Naruto's vision blurs, he can't see them properly…

Eagle doesn't stand a chance; he attempts to flee, but drops dead a moment later. The man them cut's down Fish- quite literally. The ANBU's upper half falls off of his lower half, showing the full extent of the attack.

The only remaining ANBU, Wolf, he believes, takes a defensive stance, but is knocked out by someone from behind.

The blonde's vision falls in and out of focus; the poison has taken over the bottom half of his body. His arm burns now, and it has started to sneak up his neck. His other side remains mostly poison free except for a dull stinging is in his arm and shoulder.

The wolves turn their attention to the newcomers, and the spider stands at Naruto's side. Odiyaka takes a defensive stance, while Chi prepares to attack. The man who knocked out the Wolf ANBU tries his best to calm the alerted and dangerous wolves.

"It's alright, we want to help." Chi lowers himself, clearly not buying it. The man tries again, "He is poisoned. He will die if you don't let me help." The man's voice is like silk; it can lure in man, but will not work on beast but his words, not his voice, convince Chi to stop growling.

Now, the other, older, man speaks, "Let us help your friend." Chi finally backs up from the men, and breaks his attacking stance. Now, he stands next to Naruto's side. The black wolf seems more hesitant, but moves out of the way. They both stand on opposite sides of the blond. Both men can sense the wolves' displeasure in this, the air around them is tense with the feeling of 'hurt-him-and-I will-rip-you-to-shreds'.

The man that spoke first approaches cautiously, as to not agitate the wolves more than they already, clearly, are.

Naruto tries to focus on the approaching figure, but fails miserably. He won't doubt his friends' judgment, but this is a real risk. The man could want to hurt him further… but he is going to die regardless, so, it's not like it really maters now does it?

Once the man gets within arms distance, Kosuru crawls away a foot. The man would probably not come any closer if he was still basically on top of the blond.

Naruto flinches as the man touches him, Odiyaka lets out a warning growl. Naruto tries to will himself to speak, but nothing comes out. He lays their miserable, hopeful his friends won't attack. If they do, there is no doubt the men will leave him here to die.

"My apologies. Did that hurt?" The man kneels down now, and sits right next to the blond child.

He really doesn't like people touching him… when people do they always hurt him… it was just a natural reaction. These people are not from Konoha though, if they where they would have recognized him by now and would have hurt him, or just let the ANBU kill him. Naruto relaxes a little with a painful sigh; these two men most likely will not hurt him.

The man takes the sigh as a sign to continue. Putting a little chakra on his hand, the man scans the blond for any internal injuries- the kunai is obvious, but he needs to make sure there is no other injuries. Naruto can feel his skin tingle from the chakra, 'it's weird,' he thinks. He has never had a chakra scan before, nor has he ever been healed with chakra- well, foreign chakra.

"A few bruised ribs, but no broken bones. You are poisoned, however, with Konoha's specialty poison, and a lot of it." Naruto's breathing becomes heavy; the poison has started to spread to his lungs. It burns to breath.

If they don't do something soon his body will go into self-destructed mode. Not only is that painful, but also leads so an inevitable death.

The two men exchange glances before the healer turns to the black wolf, "We need to bring him to our base. We have an antidote for the poison there." Odiyaka huffs in displeasure at the mere idea of letting them take the child.

The healer senses this and attempts to persuade the creature. "You, too, can come, but if we don't leave soon, we will not be able to save him." That gets them moving. This time, Chi moves Naruto onto his back, and Odiyaka caries Kosuru. The blond still can't make out the men, but they seem trustable… Let's just hope they really can heal him.

The poison has made it into his throat, and if it goes much further, he will pass out. Swallowing, which he regrets because his throat feels as if he was swallowing fire, he tightens his fists around the white fur on which he now rests. 'Please… Hurry."

Almost as if hearing his thoughts, the darker male jumps off and Naruto's friends, as well as the healer, pursue him. Chi pushes himself to be close to the bigger, darker man- the sooner they get to this 'base' the sooner Naruto will be healed.

The 'bigger' man speaks, "Please rest assured, your… friend…" Chi narrows his eyes on the man, "will be in good hands." The white wolf comes to a decision- which Odiyaka had already made- He does not like this man or his words but this is for Naruto. So, he follows.

Naruto begins to tremble noticeably. His body is burning up, yet everything feels so cold… He tries snuggling into what was previously warm, but his body refuses to move. At this moment, he realizes the true extent of his situation. The blond is really going to die soon, this... this power will be gone, and he will not have another chance.

His eyes hurt. Perhaps he could… just… just close them for a moment. It wouldn't hurt, right? 'Just… a few minutes.' His consciousness blurs.

"Hang on-"

'Hang… on…' Why? It's hopeless- The rest of the voices words are unintelligible.

"Hang on."

His eyes drop, why should he? It's not like anyone would miss him. People would have a parade if he dies. Yeah… His family would be happy without their burden, and his father can finally be rid of his.. disgrace.

"Think about your friends."

Friends? What friends. Everyone avoids him, even his own brothers and sisters. Or, that's how it used to be- now they make fun of him and bully the blond.

"Your new friends. What about them?"

The voice becomes louder, it sounds so familiar… 'New… friends?' Oh, yes, that's right. Odiyaka, Kosuru, and Chi… They are his friends, aren't they? Perhaps he should listen to the voice, just for now.

Blinking quickly, he forces himself to stay conscious. Naruto tries to focus on his surroundings, only to find that they are entering into an underground… thing. Perhaps this is their base.

"We are here." He can vaguely make it out. It's different from either of the voices before, this must be the dark man. Naruto hadn't really been paying attention to him earlier. You know, dying and whatnot had kind of distracted him. Speaking of dying, he still is…

The side of his face burns now, but he isn't cold anymore. Why is that? The blond is sure that the two men didn't do anything to him yet- then again he was not paying attention during a large portion of the travel time.

The two wolves duck as they enter- Chi bends down far lower than Odiyaka to make sure Naruto does not hit the top of the door. He probably wouldn't have, but you never know.

The healer turns back to them, "Follow me." They quickly glace at one another, Odiyaka and Chi, before complying. He takes them down several twisting halls- dark, gloomy, halls illuminated by nothing but torch light.

Odiyaka looks back briefly to check on Kosuru, only to find the arachnid- or not to find the arachnid. Quickly, the black wolf looks down at his feet, concerned. The spider isn't there… Odiyaka looks at Naruto, ready to alert him of the missing party member, but stops. The little blond looks in severe pain- his face is scrunching up, and he is gripping Chi's fur with steel.

Chi glances back at the black wolf and huffs before taking a turn. The healer quickly opens a door and rushes them in. "In here." They quickly enter. Naruto needs medicine- or, that's what the two wolves believe.

The man shuffles through some drawers, seemingly looking for the antidote.

The cold has come back, he feels so hot- yet so desperately cold. Naruto shivers and lets out a shaky breath. The pain, the fiery pain, has spread to one of his eyes, and taken over his throat. Once the burning becomes so intense, the blond is forced to shut his eye. Out of fear of passing out, the whiskered child keeps his other eye open- which is no easy task.

'For a few seconds… I'll close my eye.' Of course he knows this is a bad idea, and that it will not be for a few seconds, but it's so cold. So hot… If he… if he just goes to sleep, it would end- you can't feel physical pain when asleep.

The smaller man turns to them with a smile, and reaches out to Naruto. Odiyaka growls low, reminding the healer that if he hurts the blond, it will be the last thing he will ever do. "This is the antidote," he quickly explains, "I need his arm."

Chi narrows his eyes on the man, but crouches down a small amount, allowing better access to Naruto's arm.

The blond flinches as the needle pierces his skin. Chi tenses, but does not make another move in fear of hurting Naruto. The older male speaks once the syringe is pulled out of the child's skin, "He will need to rest." The smaller male tosses the needle away, then heads towards the door- again, gesturing them to follow.

Leaving the room, Odiyaka looks around quickly for Kosuru. Not seeing the spider, he chooses not to go searching in fear of getting lost as well. He is sure Naruto will notice and seek the spider later, and then he can help. Chi ignored the black wolf's obvious concern for the spider; it is obvious that spider can take care of itself.

They slow with the healer as they approach another door. Quickly, the man unlocks and opens it for them. With slight hesitation Chi enters, quickly accompanied by Odiyaka. The man smiles, "Please stay in here, I will bring food for you and….," he pauses, "the child." Nether wolf liked that pause, if it were not for the fact he saved Naruto, Odiyaka would have attacked the man. Chi, too, would have liked to hurt the man, but with a fragile blond on his back- the white wolf cannot risk attacking.

At some point during their walk the little whiskered child had fallen asleep or passed out. It is no surprise, honestly. Naruto was, and may still be, in pain.

Ignoring the bed, Chi finds an empty spot and lays; Odiyaka comes next to him and checks on the little blond. He, too, lies down. Naruto makes no indication of waking, so they both just lie there, ready to attack anyone who comes through the door, or comfort Naruto if he is to wake.

The whiskered child snuggles unconsciously into Chi's fur. Odiyaka places his head down miserably, this had to happen now, didn't it? (Im)patiently, they wait for the healer to return with some food for the blond- he needs it. They ate, but he has not.

After what seems like hours, the door finally opens. Odiyaka growls low, threatening anyone outside. The smaller male enters, finally returning from his food trip. "Hello," he says casually. Both of them eye the bag in the man's hand. It smells like food, but it could be something else… They don't trust him, not at all.

However, the healer just smiles at their clear distrust. "I'll leave the food here," remarks the healer as he sets the bag near them, and retreats to the door. Quickly, he follows up, "Some men will be by with food for you, do try not to kill them." Chi huffs a growl as the man leaves.

Naruto still has yet to wake. Out of concern, Odiyaka licks his face- almost to reassure himself the blond that everything will be alright. After a few moments, the door opens again. This time, however, there are other people; it's not the healer or the older male.

The men carry in something, something that smells delicious. Cautiously, they set the large hammock like cloth down, revealing large piles of raw meat. Both resist their hunger and wait for the men to leave, but it seems to take forever. The men try to undo the strings that had been holding the top together, until Chi growls, making the men scurry away.

Chi moves to the bed. Very, VERY, carefully, he rolls Naruto onto the bed. Odiyaka decides he wasn't careful enough, and nips his face. Chi huffs, but does nothing more.

Satisfied with his inspection of the blond, they both begin devouring the meat, deer meat, apparently.

Itachi leads his squad into the forest, back the way they had come. The team had been less than happy to be dragged here as well. The previous squad had Sharingan no Kakashi, who could have, probably, done this mission on his own. However, the Hokage order them to assist the other team, so they must.

Boar, Puma, and Firefly follow behind him. They all are clearly displeased by being led by someone as young as himself. Silently, he lands on a branch on the edge of the clearing. No Naruto. Actually, no other life forms anywhere near here. Doing a quick scan, he comes to a conclusion. There was a chase, there had to have been…

Then, he notices something on the ground. Flowers? These… were not there before. Glancing one eye at the still sleeping wolves, he jumps down to the little blue flowers. Little blue flowers… with yellow and white centers. 'Forget-me-nots.' Why are they only in this small little patch? It makes no sense.

Firefly lands next to him accompanied by Boar. Puma stays in the tree to keep watch. Weasel ignores them, and runs his hands over the small patch. Blood. Small smears of blood are on his glove, and now on the front of the flowers. However, he cannot smell it, Naruto must have been through here.

Turning his attention back to the flowers, Itachi separates the flowers, on the ground where they had grown is soaked in blood. The underside of the flowers, too, are coated in a thin layer of the small blonds vital fluid.

The Weasel looks into the forest and sees another tiny blue flower… then another. They must have gone that way. He signs his findings over to his team; they nod and follow his lead. Firefly had tried to protest, but Itachi ignored him.

A sudden feeling of uneasiness washes over him and makes his stomach knot. 'Please, be alright, Naruto.'

Naruto slowly opens his eyes, tiredness still clouding his mind. With a small groan, the blond tries to pick himself up, but ultimately fails. The strain is too great for his limbs, especially after being poisoned. Suddenly, something warm and wet runs across his face.

Odiyaka lets out a small yip, Chi trots over with a bag in his mouth. The white wolf sets it down on the bed, and then slips his nose under the blond to help him up. Naruto smiles gratefully, "Thank you." His voice is rough, and it hurts his throat to speak.

He looks around quickly; this must be the room they intend him to stay in. It's… scary to be honest. Dark brick lines the walls, and the only light comes from two torches that do not emit much light. With a small shiver, the blond decides to ignore the room decor.

Trying to move his leg, he notices something. It's doesn't hurt, and, he just now noticed, he is covered with a blanket. There is no way either of the wolves could have covered him… perhaps, but it is very unlikely.

Naruto pushes the cover off of his injured leg; it is completely bandaged and appears to have been healed. How long had he been out? Where are those men? And, just who are they?

Speak of the devil, a few seconds later the door opens to reveal the healer. The man is carrying a medical aid kit and a tray with… something on it. He can't make it out.

"Your finally up, ne?" Naruto blushes, the man has an amazing voice. It's so smooth, it sounds caring…

Knocking himself out of whatever… that was, he answers, "Yes." The healer smiles kindly before coming over to him. The wolves do not let the man out of their sight, they watch him like hawks. The healer sets the tray on the side table and hands the blond a cup of water.

Naruto drinks just enough for his throat to stop hurting, and the man takes the cup. Now that he can see the tray, it appears to have food on it. Rice balls. When his stomach growls, the little blond blushes in mild embarrassment.

The man chuckles, "You can eat as soon as I change your bandages." Naruto nods, and turns towards the man so that his legs are hanging off of the bed. The healer kneels down and undoes the wrapping, then turns the blonde's leg a little to see the back. He hums while he uses a chakra coated hand to check over the child's leg. "Your healing is incredible…," his voice trails off, confusing the blond for a moment.

Then, it clicks; the man is asking his name. "A-Ah, N, Naruto." The healer smiles up at him and then proceeds to rewrap the blonde's leg with new bandages.

"U-Um, How long have I been out?" he asks.

The healer does not look up from his work, "Just two days. I'm quite surprised you woke up so quickly." After taping the end of the wrap he finishes his thought, "That is nasty poison. You should not be able to talk, let alone sit up, after just two days." Naruto blushes; he has always had amazing healing abilities, but for someone to acknowledge it… The blond has no control over his healing, but it still feels good for someone to notice.

The man then allows Naruto to pull his legs back onto the bed, and gives him the tray. He whispers a small 'thanks', and the man prepares to leave.

"I see he is awake," the other, 'bigger' man states as he enters the room.

Kabuto nods respectfully, "Hai, only a few minutes ago." Then, he grabs his med kit and leaves. Odiyaka hates this man, he feels evil. Chi also tenses, ready to attack. The elder male simply ignores them, "How are you feeling?"

"Naruto."

The man smiles, "Naruto-kun." The blond suddenly busts into a full-faced blush, no one has ever used on honorific in his name- never! Had the tray not been on his lap he would have pulled the covers over his head in an attempt to hide. But, instead, he is just sitting there stiffly trying to avoid eye contact without saying anything.

The man tilts is head, "Did I offend you?"

Naruto gasps, "N-No!" The blush fades a little, "I- No one has…." His voice becomes smaller with every word, "u-used an honorific with my name before." The blond plays with the end of the blanket, and tries not to look up at the man.

The other male smiles again, "Well, how are you feeling?"

"Fine, my leg doesn't hurt anymore…"

The man nods, "Well, if you can walk I can show you around." He turns to the door, "I think you will like the garden, Naruto-kun." With that, he attempts to leave, but a small voice calls out to him.

"W-Wait!" The whiskered child blushes once again at his sudden outburst.

The man looks back at the blond, "Yes?"

Naruto takes this opportunity, "Th-thank you for helping me…" The man nods, and then Naruto asks a question, "What's your name?"

The man's eye flashes for a moment; Chi catches it, and narrows his eyes. "Me?" The blond nods. "My name is…"

~  
The small path of flowers had ended quickly, but they are able to track the spy by cracked branches that the trees could not hide, also, they found kunai. It's not very often but every few yards of travel they find another scatter of kunai.

Weasel does another quick scan of his surroundings; they have yet to find the blond, and cannot locate their fellow ANBU. Itachi can feel a small chakra signature, Wolf. The other ANBU's chakra is too calm for him to be conscious. Making a few quick signs to his teammates, he quickens the pace.

Within seconds they reach their destination, and are met with a gruesome sight. Firefly goes to identify the bodies and salvage something to bring back to the families. Boar helps him.

Puma again, stays in the trees to keep watch, and Itachi rushes to check on Wolf. The man is still breathing, luckily, and does not appear to be harmed in any way. 'Odd,' he thinks. Kakashi should have at least a scratch considering the damage done to his teammates.

Quickly, he undoes what had been done and Kakashi groans. Boar and Firefly finish sealing away their dead comrades, and look over to Itachi. The younger male coaxes Wolf into consciousness.

Wolf suddenly launches into a report, "We… where, G-nn, Pursuing the spy…" Gently, Itachi helps the man up. "We were attacked and…," he looks miserably over to where his fellow ANBU had previously been.

"Who attacked you? Comrades of the spy?"

Wolf looks confused for a moment before speaking again, grimly, "It was…"

.

.

.

~"Orochimaru"~

* * *

 **(Down here, I will put a small note concerning the story; it will never be very long. I have put up a poll where you can vote on who you want to be the main love interests in the story; I'm rooting for NaruSasu NaruIta/ItaNaru and NaruKabu/KabuNaru… IDK, I never wrote a story with Kabuto as a love interest…. Ma, I'll only add it if you want. I can write a separate story for that.)**


	5. Chapter 5

I AM SO SORRY MY LAPTOP WOULDN'T LET ME WRITE ANYTHING AND I HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY PROGRAM. I LOST A LOT OF STUFF BUT IT SHOULD BE FIXED SO I WILL UP DATE REGULARLY- AGAIN I AM SO SORRY!

"O-Orochimaru?" Naruto asks for clarification. Orochimaru is an odd name, not one he would expect his savior to have… Well, taking a closer look at the man, he does seem to fit the 'snake' profile- if his eyes are anything to go by. For some reason, the blond decides he likes the man's eyes; they look like ones on the monsters from his dreams. So familiar…

Orochimaru nods swiftly, "Yes." He clarifies, "And, do not be afraid to ask for anything." His voice sounds a little… off. Chi glares at the man, and Odiyaka huffs in displeasure. Orochimaru is giving them a terrible feeling, one that Naruto cannot, apparently, sense.

As Naruto nods, the man closes the door, leaving him alone with the wolves again. The whiskered child smiles at them, "I'm fi-fine…" He reassures as he picks up a rice ball. Really, he is fine for once! Nice people are helping him heal; they gave him a room and nice food that isn't poisoned. They must genuinely be nice- even if their decorating skills need some work… Well, it's not like he can judge them there, it does look kind of cool, but from what he saw glimpses of when he was poisoned, it's like this everywhere.

Odiyaka lays next to his bed and sets his head down on it, looking miserable. 'It's probably from being stuck in here…' There isn't a lot of space in the room they gave him, so the wolves have little room to move, it must be uncomfortable. "Hey," he says softly, and gently strokes the wolf's head, "I will be able to m-move again soon…" the whiskered child gives a reassuring smile to both of them.

Wait… both? "H-hey, where is Kosuru…" Odiyaka perks up, the blond had noticed! Maybe they can go looking for the spider soon. Naruto looks around a little, 'he must have gotten lost…' People hate spiders, what would they do if they found one the size of their chest? He starts to panic, what if they kill him!? He starts eating his food more quickly, unable to savor it.

It sucks he has to rush through his first meal that is not scavenged or self-made- but it doesn't matter if they can find his friend! Naruto can't lose one now, not after just a few days.

Finishing the rice balls, the whiskered child drinks the rest of the water while pulling off the sheets. He looks at his bandaged leg with no concern, he has had worse, this will be a piece of cake. Naruto swings his legs over the bed and hops off, Odiyaka catches him, and Chi starts sniffing his leg. Presumably, the white wolf is looking for any harmful drugs or materials. When both of the wolves seem satisfied that the blond can really stand, they go out of 'over-protective-mode.'

He still uses Odiyaka's fur as a temporary crutch; it would suck to fall on his face.

The child limps to the door, but hesitates. What if they get mad at him for leaving his room? They would understand his concern for his friend, though… right? Hesitantly, the blond puts his hand on the door knob, yes, they would have to understand.

As he turns the handle, someone opens the door. The blond's heart jumps as he stumbles back a little, hoping they don't get mad! Maybe he can explain-! Right? They can't be mad! The first people who like him can't be angry at him! O god, what if they hate him…?

Mr. Healer looks at him in mild amusement, "Trying to escape, Naruto-kun?" The blond is relieved, but also a little off-put by the man's words… Escape, why would he try to escape? They aren't forcing him to stay here. He relaxes a little knowing that the healer isn't upset.

The man sees the child's confusion, but choses to ignore it; children are rather dumb. "I see you can walk. If you'd like, I can show you around." He gives a creepy smile to the blond, it looks friendly… but it holds little emotion, and Naruto notices.

"I… I was jus-just going to look for my f-friend…" he mumbles out shyly. The blond leans into Odiyaka, that smile has never meant anything good, never. That smile means pain, physical and emotional… but maybe he is just jumping to conclusions, perhaps he is just being paranoid. That has to be it… these people are so nice.

Kabuto frowns, "Oh?" He looks around the room, "Do you mean the spider?"

Naruto visibly brightens and nods, "Hai, have you seen them?" If they know where he is, then it will save him a lot of time looking… but no such luck.

"My apologies, but I have not seen your spider." The healer smiles again, "I can help you look, though." He then smiles at the wolves, and they are not happy about it. Odiyaka growls lowly- but Chi moves over toward the blond a little to show that the child is under HIS protection, and he will kill Kabuto if he tries anything.

Of course, Kabuto takes notices and takes a few steps back, "Please, right this way." He smiles again, but puts a little more effort into it so the wolves don't go into attack mode.

Naruto nods and smiles gratefully, "Ari-Arigato…"(Tha-Thank you). He gives Kabuto a small bow and steps out into the hallway, Odiyaka by his side and Chi following shortly behind. The healer nods and starts the tour- he only shows Naruto the necessary things; one of those being the restroom and infirmary- for small cuts or if his leg starts hurting again. The blond compliments them on their large mass of extraordinary healers and equipment. A lot of the healers seemed very pleased with the compliments, others looked indifferent… Naruto was kind of afraid of them.

After, they go to the kitchen; Chi and Odiyaka get to eat again, while Naruto was given an apple. The blond had tried to turn it down, but the lady insisted he eat it… so he took her kind offer. He felt very warm inside after, it was really nice of her to do! It may be a small gesture, but it matters greatly to him.

Unfortunately, so far, no one has even seen Kosuru, trust me, they asked. Kabuto was just as eager to get the spider back as Naruto, something the blond was totally taken by surprise with- I mean, why would he care? Not that he is actually going to ask… His mind came up with the simple solution: He wants to help Naruto. This doesn't seem like the case to Chi and Odiyaka- but the blond just writes it off as them worrying to much… Friends are supposed to worry about each other, Right?

Kabuto sighs a little, "I'm sorry we haven't found him yet Naruto-kun…" The healer looks down at the blond. Its very obvious Naruto is depressed and a little dis-heartened. He begins to think they won't find Kosuru. He leans into dark fur, looking for comfort from his thoughts. Kabuto speaks again, "Well, we still have more to cover… perhaps he could be somewhere else."

The whiskered Child perks up a bit hearing this, Yes, maybe they can still find him, I mean, this is a big base after all. "H-hai…" He offers Kabuto a small genuine smile for his help, "Thank you aga-again…" The child blushes a little, this is the most he has ever spoken to a single person before… It's nice. The others didn't necessarily count because they accepted his compliment and went back to work without really replying.

The healer seems to shut down for a moment, "Of course…," he says blandly before snapping out of his momentary stupor, "It's no trouble, Naruto-kun." Kabuto smiles back, the male looks a little confused however. "Ma, we can still look in the greenhouses, he could be there."

The blond nods eagerly, happy to continue looking, "Yes please!" He shrinks back a bit from his outburst; Naruto keeps his eyes on the floor and holds onto Odiyaka tightly. Kabuto is… stunned by this sudden 360 in personality; it shows a little on his face. Odiyaka licks Naruto to try and make him feel better, Chi nudges the blond's side a little in a comforting manner; this gets the child back in a little better of a mood, but you can tell he is still a little… off.

Naruto chastises himself for thinking Kabuto was going to punish him- they helped him, and Mr. Healer is being so nice! He wouldn't hit Naruto. No, he wouldn't. Naruto picks up the pace a little and dispels all of those bad thoughts, they aren't from Konoha- so he is safe, they have love, they can gain Love for Naruto instead of being limited to seeing him as nothing but a monster… a nothing, a waste of space… Maybe these people can become his friends! They seem like really nice people- Kabuto especially!

Maybe that's just getting his hopes up… I mean, he can't expect the first people he meets to become his friends, right? They might not want to be his friends; perhaps they only helped him because he was hurt. No duh there, but he means… what if they want nothing to do with him after this? Naruto becomes determined, he will make one friend here! A human friend! Animal friends are amazing- but a human friend would be a first. So, that's what he is going to do- he WILL make a human friend!

During his little thinking session, Kabuto had already lead them to the indoor greenhouses. He unlocks the door and takes the blond inside, showing him rows and rows of plants. They are all raised up in flower beds going from the walls to the center, leaving little paths to walk between the rows, and a single column up the center. The rows are double stacked, and each layer has lamps that replace the sun light- Naruto had read about those lamps, for a short time he had been interested in indoor gardening. However, his brother snuck into his room and destroyed everything… It was a bitch to clean up.

The child observes the rare and new species of plants; they look so cool! Some are things he has only seen in books, others are from other countries- Man, he wishes he could sit down and draw them! Ma, maybe some other time… if they let him, but Kosuru comes first!

They ask everyone again, but still no luck. The blond sighs miserably as they exit the garden, 'Where are you…?' He looks up at Odiyaka wanting to see the spider on his back, but of course, that's not going to happen.

"Maybe he left, Naruto-kun." Kabuto looks at Naruto with a kind, soft look on his face, "He was still wild, and regardless of mutation… perhaps his instincts told him to leave." Naruto thinks on that for a moment, it is possible… Maybe he did leave. Then again, he could have left anytime, so why choose now? Well, he doesn't understand a lot about spiders, it could be possible he just… left. This saddens the blond. One of his only friends leaving him is a major possibility, especially because they are creatures who most likely do not understand humans fully… Especially spiders, they tend to live alone- except for pet frogs which they keep to watch over their- the spider's- eggs, but that's different. They don't interact, and they certainly do not become attached to the frog.

Naruto nods sadly and goes back to his room, Kabuto taking the lead. Ninjas pass by, but he doesn't pay attention to them; his mind is clouded with thoughts of his spider. One part of him wants he believe Kosuru just… left, but another part of himself thinks something happened to him- the whiskered child fears what could happen to his friend if a ninja finds him.

When they get back to the room, Kabuto gives him a look of sympathy, "Please, feel free to ask me for anything." Naruto likes Kabuto's offer more than Orochimaru's, the healer sounds more genuine and open. Orochimaru… the child can't quite place what was his tone was. He decides he likes Mr. Healer best, but both of them seem nice.

As Kabuto turns away, Naruto has the sudden urge to ask for books, any kind, but he can't bring himself to ask. They have done a lot already; he can't possibly ask them for more. The child goes into his room followed by the wolves. He can always draw…

Suddenly, he becomes aware of the physical stress he had been through, his body is tired and so is he. Normally Naruto would stay in his room after being poisoned or injured, not walking farther than the bathroom, but because he got to look around, he used a lot of energy. Adrenalin also helped a lot. Thinking his friend was in danger or killed really helped him keep going, but now, well… it's likely his friend had just left.

With a small sigh, he goes over to the bed, and climbs under the sheets. 'I can just… take a small nap…,' he thinks to himself tiredly, 'just…' The child yawns silently and snuggles into the soft sheets, 'A…. few….' Naruto losses consciousness, and slips into a light, peaceful sleep.

Chi and Odiyaka stay guard at the door, Naruto may trust these people, but they don't. Granted, the wolves get a different feeling from Kabuto than they do Orochimaru- but there is still something off about them both…. and they aren't going to let Naruto get hurt.

Itachi pauses, "Are you sure, Wolf?" Naruto can't be with Orochimaru, he had to have been attacked, or kidnapped. It would make little sense for the blond to be with the traitorous snake. Not only that, but the twisted man can do a lot with the power of a jinchuuriki, and whatever new found power the Namikaze might have. All of the tests… god it would be sick. The creatures the blond could make are also a major threat, not to mention the overall capability of his wood manipulation alone…

For some reason, thinking Naruto is a traitor makes his stomach turn.

Perhaps he should have told the Hokage. Weasel banishes those thoughts, no, Naruto would be executed. He could also be turned into Danzo, the sick fucker. Keeping his cool exterior, Weasel helps Wolf to his feet and slings the other ANBU's arm over his shoulder.

"Ng…. H-Hai" Wolf is struggling a little; Itachi might need to carry the older male back.

"Puma, Take the lead, keep watch for Orochimaru's men, we are heading back." He looks at Firefly and Boar, "Boar will go with Puma, and Firefly- you are going to follow behind me." He finishes signing, and looks back to Kakashi looking miserable on his arm. Itachi says nothing to the injured man, and waits for his team mates to do as told.

Puma doesn't hesitate to jump off, and Boar follows a moment after, nothing but a small breeze to indicate there departure. Weasel jumps off after them, but at a more moderate speed due to Kakashi weighing him down. He could, also, go to fast and knock the man out again, or cause him to throw up- which would not be welcomed either.

Sensing Firefly jump into the trees after him, he mentally thanks the gods the ANBU didn't fight him on orders. Firefly hates being under anyone younger than himself, believing they are inferior. That attitude will get him killed one day, and it will be no one's fault but his own. In the ninja world, one must be humble about his own abilities as well as overestimate the skills of his opponents. Always expect the unexpected.

On the way back to the Village, Itachi catches a glimpse of the Forget-me-nots, and is a little off put. They are growing at an extremely fast rate; a tiny patch of little blue flowers has grown ten times the size in less than five minutes. Naruto must not have control over his 'power'… or perhaps it's just that powerful. Regardless, he should check back tomorrow, there may be a field of Forget-me-nots by then.

The way back is smooth and without incident, it's almost unnerving. 'Why would Orochimaru be here but not have his ninja nearby? Why create a Village if you are not going to reap the benefits? It seems like he would, Orochimaru doesn't care about others after all. The man is not stupid, nor is he going to go somewhere unprotected… Perhaps his goal was to secure Naruto and retreat, but even then they should have sensed something by now.'

Once they enter Konoha, the ANBU stop at the wall and confirm their identies with the guards. The process takes a while, but once it's done they continue to the Hokage tower. People look at the ANBU curiously as they jump across the roofs -but it does not surprise him. People are nosey.

As they reach the building, Itachi prays Kakashi has some sympathy for Naruto… God, the poor boy needs it. No one deserves to be thrown to Danzo, and he knows the blond will be, if caught. Naruto will be turned into a mindless, emotionless weapon.

Upon arrival, they go through yet another identity check; he hands Wolf over to a special medical team to check for internal injuries as well as heal the wounds so the man can give his report. Again, even after removing his ANBU mask and seeing him, they do another identity check. The amount of searches and checks is not surprising, however, given the circumstance, but it is rather annoying.

He idly wonders if the Hokage was forced to do these as well…

The ANBU kneel in front of the Hokage as they Shunshin into the room, ready to give their report. Minato sighs upon seeing them, "Report." You can tell he's tired; this is not something that happens often, not to mention he is most likely trying to keep this from getting to the council, mostly, Danzo.

Itachi is the one who speaks; his tone is clear and even, as it should be when speaking to or addressing the Hokage. "We were unsuccessful in finding the intruder, Hokage-sama." The man tenses, "However, we have reason to believe they are working with or for Orochimaru." He can sense the Hokage's muscles tense for a second, he must not be happy with this new information. "Wolf, within squad 10, was the only survivor of an attack from- who he claims is- Orochimaru. The certainty of this statement is undetermined, however it is reasonable to believe the spy is a comrade of the Snake Sennin." Itachi feels his stomach turn, god, please let Naruto not be with him.

He lets the Hokage sit for a moment, then continues. "We are also lead to believe his powers can manipulate living things. We found a mutated arachnid and two wolves who were clearly beyond that of their natural state." The Village leader leans forward on his hands (like Sasuke). With a calculating look in his eyes, he is thinking of what this could mean for the village. Itachi would be doing the same, but is holding on to some hope Naruto won't do anything against the village.

A few tense minutes pass, they stay in their positions on the floor waiting to be dismissed. Itachi can feel the nerves in the air. Had he not been an ANBU the Weasel would be squirming.

With the creaking of the door walks in Wolf, adding more tension to the room. The man kneels in front of the Hokage like the others. "Hokage-sama." His voice is clear, absent is the lazy, careless tone. Itachi shows nothing outward, but internally, he prays to any god that will listen, that Kakashi does not tell Minato of his son.

Perhaps someone is listening.

"Report, Wolf."

Kakashi speaks, "We followed the intruder's path, and where able to use a venom to keep him from running. However, he had mutated wolves that helped him run. On our pursuit, we managed to cut them off and corner him. During this confrontation, Orochimaru intervened by killing those in my squad. His intentions of keeping me alive are unknown." Itachi waits for the inevitable question. The very same one he was asked when he first came back.

'Please. He's only a child…' The Weasel pleads in his head.

The blond man takes a moment to process this, then asks the heart thudding question: "Did you manage to secure their identity?" This question hangs in the air for a moment, but it feels like an eternity to Itachi.

Kakashi finishes his oral report.

Kakashi watches the nurse run chakra-coated hands over his muscles. He wasn't damaged- not even a bruise, minus where he was struck, of course; that is still throbbing. Wolf just lets the nurse do it, it's easier to just let them… Wait. He stops the woman's hand. "Nurse-san, I don't believe anything is wrong with my crotch. If there was I would most certainly feel it." She blushes from being caught and finishes the rest of the exam quickly. He can't blame her, being caught almost sexually assaulting someone is embarrassing… Granted it wasn't nearly as bad as what most people would do to females.

His mind is on the intruder after the humorous fleeting thoughts. It's Naruto. Why would the little blond do something like this? Is he working with Orochimaru? It is a possibility, but the snake could have also just taken the boy, seeing him as an easy target.

But… Naruto. Kakashi never spent much time with the boy, never really even took time to speak with him. The boy is a little annoying, yes, but not purposely so. He weakly apologizes for things that aren't even his fault- or deserved to be apologized for. Now that he really thinks about it, Naruto flinches around everyone, no matter how slow their movements, if it's near him he had acted like they were going to strike him… and that's if he was even around.

He tries to think back to the last time he saw the family together. It's not clear, he can't pinpoint a time where the blond just stopped coming around. Why is that? He's an ANBU, something like that should have caught his attention- no? Look underneath the underneath… Apparently he had failed the shinobi rule he knows best.

The man exits the examination room and heads to his destination.

It's… troubling. This is not something he should have overlooked! Perhaps the boy used a genjutsu or something similar to make him forget. Then again, Naruto is only six- not to say that's too young to become a ninja, because he and Itachi had been ninja before then- but someone that age knowing a jutsu to make an ANBU forget? No, not possible, unless the Snake helped….

Wolf dons his mask and opens the door to the Hokage office, he can feel the thickness of the air- it would be suffocating to a citizen. Kneeling like the others, he gives his oral report. The mind of the man is elsewhere, doesn't register that he's not saying any names.

But how would Naruto even come in contact with the snake before this? Wouldn't that be an issue? Someone would have seen anyone. A spy would have been caught by now had they attempted to talk to the Hokage's son. Orochimaru would have just kidnapped the boy anyway- probably not even bothered with tricking him. Fuck…

"Did you manage to secure their identity?" The Hokage asks in an official, demanding tone.

His mind blanks; Wolf cannot force himself to speak- he just can't manage it. It's painful… The hokage needs to know the identity of the intruder, he needs to know it's his son- and that he's with or has been captured by Orochimaru. This is not information he can withhold.

Kakashi finally finishes his report.  
~

Naruto's mind is foggy, where is he? Everything is so dark… No, wait. His eyes are closed. When had he closed them? Cracking open his eyes, the blond doesn't see much of a difference in lighting. He's in a dark room, tall stone walls surround him, and torches flicker with what little light fills the room.

He becomes brutally aware of the cold…. Its chilling him down to the bone, and making his body tremble uncontrollably.

After a few moments, Naruto turns his head lazily to the side, jaw chattering. His friends, Odiyaka and Chi, trot over to him. The black wolf helps the woozy, foggy boy stand up while cradling him, trying to warm the fleshy unprotected child. Chi stands at his side, but the blond can't seem to focus on him…

Odiyaka gives a lick to his face, bringing his attention back to him. The blond pets the black wolf with happiness filling his clouded mind. A small smile comes to his face as he pets Odiyaka's head and gives him affection, blissfully unaware of the shadow on the wall and the wolf at his side bearing his teeth.

A snake towers over the little blond, and slowly opens its jaw, showing it's massive fangs, layers of inner teeth, and venom clinging thickly to the them. It goes over Naruto, tongue out ready to strike and make the boy its next meal.


	6. Chapter 6

I AM SO SORRY

This is very late, short and probably not to the quality of the others and I am so so so sorry. I have not written ANYTHING in this busy time. So, I'm a little rusty in my story… writing… stuff. AAAAAANY way, I would like to make it clear that the pairings are not the main focus of the story- and I'm not sure I'll even add them. We will have to see…

PS: Second Chance is being rewritten and will have a new chapter as soon as I finish.

ONTO THE STORY!

"We were unable to identify the intruder; Orochimaru appeared before we could identify them." There is another tense silence following; Minato is definitely not happy. They lost good ANBU for nothing… No, they were not just ANBU, they had lives- but this is what they signed up for. They had been fully aware of the risks… This knowledge does not help relieve Minato of his guilt. If they had at least known who the intruders were it would not be so hard to handle, and their lives would not have been lost in vain.

The Hokage looked up at his men, they all tense up- he can feel their chakra shift. Minato is doing a very poor job of hiding his emotions, it's no surprise they are stiff. The wave of his hand dismisses his ANBU and with a small flicker they teleport out of the room. The blond sighs deeply as he leans back into his chair, this is becoming costly… Perhaps he should just station guards to watch the Hokage tower and then leave men to watch over his family during school hours and at night.

That seems to be the best solution at this point.

However, what if they... Well, with them being in Orochimaru's hands it is nearly impossible to track them now- Jiraiya's spy network has complications tracking the snake, so a few ANBU and Jounin would do nothing except waste time and money.

With a deep sigh of defeat Minato starts writing up mission details for those he will put on guard duty.

Kakashi looks out over Konoha from the roof of the Hokage tower. Why had he betrayed the village? Lying about something of this level is treason at best- if not that he could be accused of working for or with the 'spy.' Naruto… Little six-year-old Naruto couldn't be a spy, but appearances can be deceiving; this is why all ninja are taught to look underneath the underneath.

Could Naruto really be that smart? Perhaps he is being manipulated? Whatever the reason he cannot back down from his decision to keep the little blond's identity hidden, it's far too late for that. It also appears Itachi is a traitor as well, considering that Minato had not lashed out at him.

Finally, Wolf notices the chakra of the other ANBU from his squad behind him. Had he really been that deep in thought to have not noticed? If it had not been a Konoha ninja, that small mistake could have cost him his life. "Weasel," Kakashi says simply, acknowledging the presence of the other ANBU. This will be interesting…

Itachi watches Kakashi- it looks like a god had listened to his prayers after all; perhaps it was luck? That is not important, what is, is that the wolf did not say anything. The boy flickers his chakra, so Kakashi can sense him.

"Weasel."

The ANBU steps out of the shadows, standing in the light, allowing himself to be seen by his mentor. "Wolf." It's important, Kakashi should know that. If He lied to the Hokage, it's not something to take lightly. The raven-haired man makes a hand signal, "Follow" and flickers off, heading to a secret location where they may speak privately.

Kakashi follows.

This… Shall be interesting.

 **Naruto's mind is foggy, where is he? Everything is so dark… No, wait, his eyes are closed. When had he closed them? Cracking open his eyes, the blond doesn't see much of a difference in lighting. He's in a dark room, tall stone walls surround him, and torches flicker with what little light fills the room.**

 **He becomes brutally aware of the cold…. It's chilling him down to the bone, and making his body tremble uncontrollably.**

 **After a few moments, Naruto turns his head lazily to the side, jaw chattering. His friends, Odiyaka and Chi, trot over to him. The black wolf helps the woozy, foggy boy stand up while cradling him, trying to warm the fleshy unprotected child. Chi stands at his side, but the blond can't seem to focus on him…**

 **Odiyaka gives a lick to his face, bringing the boy's attention back to him. The blond pets the black wolf with happiness filling his clouded mind. A small smile comes to his face as he pets Odiyaka's head and gives him affection, blissfully unaware of the shadow on the wall and the wolf at his side bearing his teeth.**

 **A snake towers over the little blond, and slowly opens its jaw, showing it's massive fangs, layers of inner teeth, and venom clinging thickly to the them. It positions itself over Naruto, tongue out, ready to strike and make the boy its next meal.**

The blond wakens suddenly; he lurches forward and looks around confused. He is safe in the room he was given… What was that? Why… Being hit in the head with something, and warmth… pain… God it felt like his heart was burning. With deep breaths, he manages to calm himself and stop the pounding in his chest.

Looking over at the wolves, he notes that they are asleep- which is good. The blond didn't make noise in his sleep, meaning he hadn't bothered anyone… Naruto wants to believe that these people would not have hit him or yelled at him for being loud, but his family did. Well, they had their love taken, so it's not entirely their fault; hopefully. Pushing those thoughts away, the child gets out his journal- no sense in staring blankly at the celling.

He begins to sketch a creature from many fairy tale books, a Gryphon. On another page, he draws a Hippogriff. Both creatures are powerful, and very dangerous. Some stories depict Gryphons as noble creatures, while other say they are beasts with no desire but to kill. Naruto doesn't really have a specific opinion about them. After all, natures and feelings change from creature to creature. So, if they did exist- some would probably be blood thirsty, while others just go by natural instinct… Or that's what he wants to think, anyway.

It's kind of like how some people are just… bad, and set in their ways.

Kabuto stares into the darkness at his 'master.' The torches on the walls give of faint light that defines the snake's features, and make him look wicked, with glowing yellow eyes that can make the hardest of ANBU quake in fear. Despite this, Kabuto stands in front of Orochimaru with a straight back and calm composure. "Orochimaru-sama," he addresses the Sennin, and waits for acknowledgment.

He does not wait long. "Kabuto," Orochimaru says slowly, making him seem even more sinister. The healer does not waiver. "You have run the tests. Report." Kabuto resists swallowing. Orochimaru knows his men well, especially his most trusted ninja; the healer can get nothing past him. Nothing. These thoughts do not comfort him in the slightest.

"Hai, Orochimaru-Sama." He feels… bad about speaking and telling his 'master' about this- why? It feels like something in his stomach is fluttering. "I confirmed, the child does appear to have supernatural abilities that allow him to bend nature to his will. If that is what you could call it." Hmmm, 'note to self: check for illness when dismissed.' Really, he should not feel this way. He has given Orochimaru bad news before, yet this is the report that is making him nervous?

The man narrows his eyes, "What do you mean? I do not like secrets Kabuto." The snake watches his ninja carefully, and Kabuto can feel those predator eyes on him.

The healer continues despite the small flutter. "It appears that Nature is connected to him in some form… I noticed while following him that he can manipulate already existing material- including living things and heal them, but it also looks like he can create from nothing." Pulling them from his pocket, he shows Orochimaru the rolled up bandages. The snake is confused and looks at the bandages suspiciously, but waits for Kabuto to continue; this is something the healer is grateful for. As he unrolls the bandages, it reveals Forget-me-nots that had grown in them, and the roots that went through the other side. "These were on the child's leg, right where his wound had been-" He moves some of the flowers to show the dried blood underneath. "These grew from nothing, they did not sprout from the blood. It appears as though the blood allowed them to grow, or that the blood somehow created the plants." Kabuto hands over a bandage to the Sennin.

Orochimaru observes the flowers, feeling them and checking them, "Is that all you could find, Kabuto?" The healer can tell his 'master' is not happy with only this, so he continues.

"No, it also seems that the child can heal things like poison and even make things resistant to other material. Not only that but he can manipulate genetic code from its very foundations. Those two wolves had been modified past what should be naturally possible- but it's…" Kabuto pauses to find the correct word, "...seamless." Orochimaru seems interested at this point, again this makes him nervous. "With our genetic modification, the resulting creatures tend to be weaker than the originals, or have severe problems such as deformations. These wolves, however, appear to be perfectly modified." The healer tenses upon hearing Orochimaru chuckle.

The snake smirks as he speaks, "Marvelous… We move to Hideout 68 in the morning." Kabuto suspected this. Orochimaru wants to use Naruto's powers. Aware of the life this child has lived, Kabuto does not want to manipulate him. This is cruel, even for Orochimaru- but he will do as his 'master' says to save his own skin.

The fluttering in his stomach turns to pain as he is waved out of the room by Orochimaru. The healer hopes that the snake will do what he is hoping, because there are only a few things in Hideout 68 Orochimaru would want done…including getting his next body fixed.

With a soft sigh, Kabuto goes to check on Naruto. He has already left the child alone for a rather long time…

The whiskered child jumps hearing the door click, Odiyaka and Chi look up, now alert and ready to attack, if necessary. Kabuto smiles as he enters the room, making Naruto relax. The two wolves put their heads back down, but do not relax in the slightest. This man still feels off to them- not as much as the snake, but something is wrong.

Smiling a little, Naruto watches the healer come in. "He-Hello Kabuto-san…" he says quietly. The child's cheeks heat up a small bit; he is not used to speaking with another person like this… So formally… Friendly, even. Most times it just him saying things and being ignored until he leaves, or yelled at, sometimes chased or even hit… The blond child is glad these people are different, especially Kabuto.

The Healer walks to the bed, not looking at the wolves to keep them from getting suspicious. They both raise their heads and watch carefully with their piercing eyes so he cannot harm their Naruto. Kabuto manages to sit on the end of the small bed without harm. "Naruto-kun, hello." He bows a little bit, like he would with a guest of honor. "Are you alright? I was gone for quite some time." The healer decides it would be best to keep it casual for now, but eventually he will need to ask about the powers… If only those mutts were not here, this would be ten times easier! Well, maybe that's an exaggeration.

Naruto is easily fooled by the soft kind voice, and smiles a little bit, but remains hidden just a little bit behind his sketch book. "I'm fine," he says quietly, but it is clearly still a little sad. Kosuru disappeared and he cannot just get over that- even if the spider left of his own free will. The blond's friend is gone with no way to find or contact him.

"I'm sure your little spider friend is fine. They are creatures of solitude, Naruto-kun. I wouldn't be surprised if he left because of that." The man reassures the boy, moving in a little closer. Chi lifts his head in warning, and Kabuto remains unthreatening. The wolves, however, remain unconvinced.

Of course the little Blond just nods slowly, it's sad to think about… But his friend has to be alright, he needs to be. If something ever happened to Kosuru he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

The healer pushes up his glasses and smiles once again, "Would you like anything? Water? Or something to eat?"

It's awfully generous of him to offer, but Naruto still cannot bring himself to ask anything of these people, "N-no. I'm alright… rea-really." Maybe water would be nice, but he can hold out for a long time, a day if necessary. It's not the longest he has gone without water- passing out in an alley after a beating can leave you there for a few days- but he can't wait that long consciously.

"May I… ask you a question?"

Naruto is a little surprised that Kabuto seems so sheepish and a little afraid. "Yes…" He isn't exactly sure how to respond to being asked… if someone can ask him a question.

"You see… My- and Orochimaru-sama's… friend is very, very sick." The child listens with interest, now curious about the sad tune the man is carrying. It sounds like a request, or how he sounded with Kosuru. "We cannot cure him, no matter what we try, he is only getting worse, and very close to death." Naruto's face melts into one of mourning. Chi and Odiyaka sharpen their eyes, not liking where this is going.

"We… saw you back there, making those flowers when you fell. From your blood? And… we wanted to ask... do you think your power could help us?" The healer scratches the back of his neck, "Even if it's just some herbs to help with the pain?" The man's eyes beg and appear afraid of what is not completely understandable.

Paling, the boy is frozen. What should he say? He can heal people- yea- and these people are nice but-he has only known them for a day! Should he tell them? Will they want to use him? For power? No… Probably not but his mind isn't clear, it's foggy about what he should do! Help them? They did help him so much, and he should help everyone he can- but then what if he can't do it? What if he gets scared or what if they throw him out after this? What if they just need his power!? But… but then what about the person? They could die if he doesn't help! But… But…! Oh… no…

The wolves stand up, starting to growl and stalk forward as their claws dig into the ground beneath their paws, showing their new-found power in a better light. Kabuto swallows thickly and backs away. Yes, he can fight them- but killing them is a different story… The exact powers of these creatures is unknown- fighting must be a last resort. However, they don't appear to be backing down, and trust me, they will NOT back down if their child is in danger!

But- but- No, the blond cannot let a person die because of his reluctance… and he owes these people for helping him and protecting him and…

"I.. can...try." He says it in a small voice, and pulls his knees to his chest, showing he is uncomfortable. Thankfully, Kabuto seems to understand, and so do the wolves. Chi stands at Naruto's side, but Odiyaka lays down near the bed, making sure to be within biting distance of Kabuto's legs. This doesn't make the healer any less fearful.

Naruto listens carefully as the man speaks. "Could you cure an incurable illness? At least by current medical standards?"

There is a long pause. The blond doesn't actually know if he can do something so drastic like that. It's a little nerve wracking for him just to think about, "I… I'm not sure…" The words come out slow and controlled, just like how he speaks with the angry villagers, but this time it's a little more unsure and frightened.

"Won't you try?" The blond feels himself melt at Kabuto's begging watery eyes. No one could say no… well, they could but Naruto wants to help his new friends… especially after he just lost one of his first- it must be painful to watch a friend die slowly.

Nodding his head, the boy speaks again "O-kay…" He tries to give a smile, regardless of his frayed nerves. Kabuto needs to have a little encouragement right now, regardless of how much older he his. Even now, if one of his 'family members' died he would still be very, very sad- after all, the child does now know that this isn't entirely their fault, though Minato could possibly be at fault for part of this.

Kabuto bows his head respectfully, "Thank you…" The blond blushes from the smile offered back to him. "Would you like information on the disease?"

"Hai." It would be good to know what he is working with, or on. The fact that he has no real idea of his powers or how to use them besides his little mishap and mutating the creature is also jarring. What if he turns the sick friend into a monster? Oh no… he knows he will have to do some serious experimenting soon, to avoid such a serious mistake.

As the boy thinks, the healer gets up and walks out, creating little ominous clicks as he goes, making Naruto more and more nervous. Naruto's head hurts thinking about this. The black wolf sets his head in Naruto's lap, trying to comfort his human, while Chi nuzzles the child with his nose, but pulls away after a moment to watch the door for the healer man. The little boy smiles from the comfort his friends try to give, and sets his sketch book away to pet Odiyaka's soft fur.

"Thank you…" Even if Kosuru had to leave, at least he still has these two. They are pack animals, right? So they won't leave him for any reason other than to look for food. Naruto desperately hopes they don't want to leave him, he isn't sure he could handle it if they did leave.

Kabuto lets out a sigh of relief as he turns the corner. That was a LOT more stressful that it should have been… He isn't that nervous in Konoha, but then again they don't actively want to kill him, and he knows almost everything about everyone there, but the wolves are a mystery. He has no knowledge about them or how they were created.

Now that he thinks about it, the healer would like some of their blood to examine… Maybe not the whole wolf, they could probably rip out any chains he tried to put them in.

On the way to the facility, he sees Ninja running around, getting ready for the move by securing whatever it is that Orochimaru wants to take with him. They seem rather urgent, though… How odd. They do not know where they happen to be going, but, generally they do get more than an hours notice, and it is getting very late. He isn't concerned until he sees a ninja- no, a few ninja being carried by assistance to the medical bay.

They are bloody, looking bitten by whatever they have been testing here… but how can a shoulder bite result in vomiting and coughing up blood? They will clean up the mess so it doesn't bother him much. 'They must have fucked up while transferring the creature into a easy-to-move cage.' Nothing to worry about, though, a few lost ninja is nothing to be concerned about.

But… perhaps he should check with Orochimaru? Kabuto does not remember any venomous creature being in this particular facility. No, it's probably best to just leave it for now. He is head of all experiments, there is no doubt that he will be informed as soon as Orochimaru-sama feels it necessary.

Whenever that may be…

More knots form in the man's stomach.

Regardless, the healer makes it to the library and gets books about the genetic disease that he wrote, and a few others that might be helpful. It's incurable for that very reason- it's a genetic mutation that came with Kimimaro's exceptional blood line… unfortunately, this means Orochimaru is unable to take over the body at all because there is no possible way to fix any of this. But, with Naruto's help, the teen would be perfect for Orochimaru's use.

So would Naruto, though. Orochimaru would do good in keeping the cute little blond here, tricking him into thinking they are friends, then stealing his body and power. For some reason, though, that makes him feel bad- the kid deserves a break… So much has gone wrong for him. Kabuto remembers once he saved the kid, but that was on a whim, it meant nothing.

He comes back out to see the ninja cleaning up the messes and apologizing to him for this inconvenience. The healer, of course, brushes them off and continues back to Naruto's room- but stops at the cafeteria and grabs the boy an apple and a glass of water figuring he has to be at least a little hungry and thirsty, it has been a while since they ate.

An Ominous, dark chuckle fills the lonely room as dim torch light flickers across the snake man's face. His Ninja kneel at his feet, and had just delivered him some good news… His little village experiment is taking off, and lots of people are starting to play into his cheap lies. They are flocking into his village for protection and safety for their families, as well as other various lies he had made up that promised a paradise and liberation from the rule of the hidden villages.

To him, they will be nothing more than toys to experiment with. Maybe the kid- Naruto, if he remembers correctly- can give him some excellent new ways to test. Especially if he gets the boy's body… He can only imagine what he could do with just a portion of the power he has been reading from Kabuto's in depth report.

Oh, the weapons he could create! No one could match him… He would be closer to achieving his goal.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to keep the child, to train him into another weapon for himself to use against Konoha. Kabuto even said that the boy had some terrible times there, getting the blond child on his side should be easy… With the promise of power, the destruction of those who hurt him should be enough to get anyone to succumb to the snake's temptation, but, even if he denies, there is nothing a little genjutsu cannot fix.

Another bone chilling chuckle fills the room, promising pain and anguish. Even the hardened ninja feel an overwhelming fear crash down on them, and chills go through their bodies, freezing them in place. Whoever that chuckle was meant for better pray to whatever god, demon, or deity they survive.

Danzo is looking through the reports from his ROOT ANBU who had managed to copy reports of an intruder for him. To say the least, he is not happy with Minato, not one fucking bit! The man is going about this all wrong! Why wouldn't he send out mass searches and keep everyone on alert? It would be best if all ninja where aware of the threat so they could properly plan for it- and how DARE he keep this hidden from the council!? He should have called an emergency meeting as soon as he got the news! Damn that irresponsible blond!

This is why he should have been Hokage!

And that power… if what these reports say are true, then they should capture this spy at all costs- to harness their power and use them as a weapon to guarantee Konoha's safety! Even if a few ninja are lost in the process, it will all be worth it once they get what they need… That is their duty as ninja.

Not only can they turn him into a tool, but using the person's DNA can provide them with the requirements to pass on this possible blood line to all other ninja within Konoha, or at least a few specific warriors they select- or whoever survives…

Then they could easily scare all their opponents into submission to avoid another war! Especially with all the tension after the third Ninja War against Iwagakure… Minato killed nearly endless amounts of their ninja, and the fact that he, their greatest enemy, is now Hokage doesn't exactly help them.

He summons a few of his ROOT. "Find leads on this 'spy' and peruse them." They nod and wait to be dismissed. "Failure is not an option." Then he waves his hand, and they Sunshin away, starting their new mission.

They will be his.

Even if it takes an army.


	7. Chapter 7

I am so sorry this took so long, things were not going well for me. One could even say they still aren't! But regardless of my own grievances , I hope you all have a merry Christmas!

'Thinking'

"talking"

"Kami/Shinigami/demon speech"

" **Memories/Dreams not in a flash back"**

* * *

 **Section 1 Plants**

Chapter 1 How to Grow Plants

Plants are perhaps the easiest of all things to manipulate, perhaps too easy. All that is required is a thought to grow a seed into a full-grown plant. You may even be doing it unconsciously, I suggest looking around you just to make sure.

As an example, you can use simple visualization to grow the plant of your choice as long as you know how the plant looks whilst growing….

Well, this isn't what he wanted… Maybe a few more pages and the information he needs will be there? It does only come when he learns or uses the power… or- um. That's what he thinks anyway. Hopefully what he needs is here…

Naruto should probably start somewhere where plants are not. The boy is just going to assume that the friend of theirs is not a plant.

 **Section 2 Animals**

Chapter 1 How to…

No.

Chapter 2-

No…

Chapter 3 How to Heal Life Threatening Wounds

(editor note: differentiate between his thoughts and book text) YES! Finally… Please let there be something in here that can help! At this point he would rather die than disappoint these people.

As you should already know, there are wounds that no one can heal. Even the great Tsunade could not heal these such injuries.

Life threatening wounds are considered those that will cause certain death, and that no one could survive except maybe a Jinchūriki, or you. These can be anything from poison, to a slit throat, to a Shuriken through the spine. In most cases, these things do not occur and tend to be common only in SS ranked missions or incorrectly ranked missions. An example of this would be a poor country lying about a mission only being D or C in rank, when in reality it could be that of an A or S rank. However, it is still helpful to know how to heal these wounds when they are presented in a dire situation. Of course, you probably stumbled upon this not too long ago, and now wish to learn more.

In order to do this, place your hands on, or near the wound. Then, visualize said wound healing, or, at the very least, a previous image of the person completely healthy. This will cause slow healing, and will result in few mutations. For this type-

Well, he started out visualizing but it quickly went from knowing what they look like to something different. Plus, he doesn't even know how old this person is- So this version is out.

Another way to heal is willing the body to change, not only heal the wound but DNA as a whole. Managing this is not necessarily difficult, mostly because it is emotionally charged. It is very hard to lose control over something like this, and manipulate something to death. Most of the time you can overdo it and damage the cells, causing cancerous tumors to form. This CAN be undone; however, this is very difficult. As are all transformations with auto-immune disorders, chronic diseases, etc.

AAAAAAnd then the page ends. Really. Well, this is going to go terribly wrong. Giving a small, concerned glance to his friends, Naruto pulls his legs to his chest. What… What if he messed up his friends? M-maybe the spider died! No- Did he kill him! Maybe they are dying right now. W-well maybe not. I mean… How could they? They seem fine.

Maybe it wouldn't be a bad Idea to just ask Kabuto-san to check them? It wouldn't do any harm, right?

Odiyaka senses his worry, and places his head on his friend's bed to give the child some form of comfort. This is something Naruto is grateful for. Petting the wolf's head while looking over what he has discovered, and how many pages he has yet to even uncover, the blond can't help but feel worry thumping through his chest. It's a little book but that is a LOT of pages.

A soft creaking fills the room only seconds later, showing the healer who enters with a soft smile, and an arm full of books. "Naruto-san." Kabuto greets him respectfully. Chi huffs at the man, but doesn't get up, only to keep Naruto from getting tense. Oh, but have no mistake, they are both watching him carefully as he strides over in a friendly manner. His tricks cannot hide from their senses.

The blond boy shuts his book and smiles a little to man, hopeful his nervousness isn't too obvious. "I got my books on the illness for you. Please, feel free to read them." He sets them down on the side table with the apple he had gotten, next to the empty cup of water. "I suggest doing so… and feel free to ask for anything else you may need." Kabuto takes the cup, and his eyes dart to the little book, more out of curiosity than anything else- but It is not unnoticed by Naruto.

The man moves to the door, preparing to leave, but the blond decides to speak up. "M… Mister?" Kabuto looks back at his charge, curious what could provoke such fragile words and respect after being called other things than 'mister' by the child.

"Yes? Do you need something?" Even the wolves look curious, Chi more so than Odiyaka.

Glancing at the book's cover, Naruto starts to speak again. "Well… I was wo-ndering if… if you could… check Odiyaka and Ch-chi for me." He looks at Kabuto shyly, then to his friends. "I want to know if they are okay…" He needs to know if they have cancer, or if he messed them up so much that that- that they might die.

Kabuto is obviously a little off, but nods regardless. "I will before we leave tomorrow morning." Then, he leaves softly, the only noise being the weak click of the door behind him.

Naruto shifts away from the looks he receives from his friends; they are not happy about this request. "I'm sorry…" the words are again quiet. Chi makes an annoyed huff and Odiyaka covers his eyes with his paws, disliking this idea greatly. "I-I just want-t to make su-re you two are okay!" If he doesn't, this will eat him up inside. Knowing your friends died because of you… Thinking about it makes his chest hurt, and his heart constrict painfully. Pushing aside his anger and unease, the black wolf gently licks the blond's cheeks, grateful for the concern of their friend. He receives a smile in return, and a hug that barely encompasses his head. Chi comes over as well, cuddling the blond, also demonstrating his forgiveness.

Feeling a little better with their compassion, the child begins reading the books and snacking on the apple- which Chi and Odiyaka sniff thoroughly first.

The books are helpful, however… it just makes him all the more nervous. This illness doesn't look simple to cure, then again neither is poison neutralizing but apparently he did that without problems, which annoys him to no end that he managed that but cannot fathom doing this. Research is important though, so since he only skimmed the books previously, the blond goes back to read more in-depth instead of letting his nerves get to him. 'Deep breaths Naruto… everything will be okay.'

Chi and Odiyaka soon abandon the tight watch on the boy, deciding to lay near him instead. This time the white wolf lays by the door, and the black furred one lays the length of the bed, head facing the door. Kabuto seems to be a shrinking threat. Though only subtly, the snake man's smell lingers, making the two apprehensive. That man _\- thing_ \- makes their fur stand on end.

Minato sighs, looking over his stacks and stacks of work… Damn… He promised Kushina that he would be home early, too! Hopefully she isn't too upset- but knowing her- The Hokage shivers, instinctively covering his precious gems. 'I better hurry.' With that little unpleasant thought, his vigor renews. These papers have to be done but he might have to abandon some of it until tomorrow.

He got about two-thirds of the way done before it was getting close… and, unfortunately, he must leave all of that for tomorrow. Sarutobi is going to laugh at him for this. That old man is probably laughing at his misfortune right now! Old man-!

The Hokage flashes out of his office, leaving only a small whirl of wind behind him.

The kids are sitting on the couch, all three of his babies staying up to say goodnight to their father. Kushina is between them, Narami in her lap and the others cuddling her sides. Minato can't help but smile at the scene… His little family. His wife, his loving, beautiful wife, and their precious children. He carefully looks over their shoulders, resisting a giggle as he watches them trying to complete a puzzle.

Narami and Katsu, being brash and taking most of Kushina's personality, are trying to force the pieces into the wrong spots- and some how makes them work. Masami on the other hand, though still young and impatient, is going about it logically, from the outside in, and analyzing where each piece should go. Kushina is humming a little song, helping them fit the pieces into the right spots.

He can't help but soften at the scene. Why is he so blessed? To have this? A family, his dream job, and their dream house? It doesn't matter, because his dream has come true- and you believe he will protect his little house and his little family with his life.

The man reaches down, guiding Narami's little hand to the puzzle piece's proper place. Minato lets out a soft chuckle from the children's momentary confusion, and explosion of happiness.

"DADDY!" Narami jumps into his arms, and Katsu smiles brightly, jumping up and hugging his father's waist. "Dad! You made it!" Even Masami makes a little squeal, hugging her father with all her tiny might. The hokage can't help but laugh and give a true smile to his babies.

"You're lucky you made it." Minato leans down, children still hanging from his body. His wife gives him a beautiful smile… one that doesn't show teeth, but is just a happy content smile. It shows him that he is really doing something right.

"I know I am…" The blond gives a few small kisses to her lips, earning a small hum. "I'm so lucky to have you…" He gets a few more small kisses, each more loving and playful than the last.

Kushina breaks the affection, placing a soft hang on Minato's lips, and pointing to the children then whispers "Damn Right, Dattebane." She smiles, now bright again, speaking in her normal strong confident way… making him feel at home.

The blond sets his kids down, looking over the picture and comeing around the couch, sitting next to Kushina and taking Masami to his lap while Katsu crawls between him and Kushina. "What are you working on?"

Narami pipes up "A butterfly and-"

"A lion!" Katsu cuts in, grinning as he points to the messed-up head of a lion. Masami hands Minato the box. "it is supposed to look like this… see?"

Minato hums thoughtfully. "Mind if I help?" There is a chorus of 'yes!' and a few giggles as everyone jumps back into the puzzle. Though, now there is a pleasant conversation instead of his wife's humming.

Narami had a good day at school. Ino and Sakura gave her and Masami friendship bracelets!

Masami got a new book- and an A+ on her test! One the other kids where oddly silent about…

Katsu won the playground game! And he successfully- almost- got a bullseye from the third mark! Minatp has no Idea what that is, but he pretends to know anyway.

Kushina decided to take up sewing- which she was praised for, but the blond knows her, it will frustrate her and she will give up, but he encourages her new endeavor anyway. He even suggests the family go out together to pick cloth! Of course this is meet with joy and anticipation by everyone.

He catches himself staring at his family… his beautiful family. Just listening to them talking. A few years ago, he wouldn't have thought this possible.

He is so… happy. So, so happy…

Then why does something feel missing?

The Hokage sighs heavily, looking at the completed puzzle. Kushina and the children already washed up and laid down for bed… but he can't. Something feels wrong- like something horrible will happen soon and Minato just can't comprehend what it is! With a another sigh, he activates an ANBU seal, summoning his soldiers.

"Wolf, Pig, Deer, Beetle, Keep watch over the children and Kushina. Their safety is now your top priority." The ANBU immediately jump away to complete their tasks. Still though, this brings the man no peace.

There is no way he can sleep feeling like this, and he isn't hungry… Minato also isn't interested in the TV or any of the books they have. Working on a seal is out of the question, he is way too tired and would probably blow himself up. With fifteen minutes of trying to decide what to do, he gives up.

As quietly as possible the Hokage leaves his home and heads back to his office. 'Might as well get a head start on tomorrow's work…' Why not? ANBU are looking over his family, and he can easily protect Konoha documents from here should the intruder/spy come back… However, he doubts it. From the mission report it sounds like the person will be out for a few days.

Tora got out again… Great. He will give that to some Genin in the morning. Accepted. D-rank.

An escort mission for a group of traders? C rank payment… Accepted. C-rank.

The Hyuuga gardens need weeding… Accepted. D-rank.

The Izakaya clan needs help bathing all the dogs… Accepted. D-rank.

Jiraiya needs help with his research, preferably women… Declined. Pervert.

Needs help dropping off a package… unknown contents. Declined.

Needs help loading a boat with supplies. Accepted. D to C-rank.

Help fix roof. Accepted D-rank.

Babysit Kids. Accepted. D-rank.

Kill group of bandits. Accepted. C to A-ranked

His mind continued the mechanical reading and deciding of all the missions. Some more important that others, but for the most part everything was relatively domestic. At least the Genin won't get lazy or bored tomorrow… Actually, these might have to be pushed on to some Chunin. Oh well, this will keep them from becoming arrogant

Fields… fields and fields of forget-me-nots. The flowers are growing up trees and on rocks like moss, draping over the cave entrance like vines and even hanging from branches. It's like a wonderland… This continues in a 30 foot radius around the original flowers. This, and the fact that other animals are here, ones that had not previously been here before. Bee hives already finishes, deer and bear all roaming peacefully- even birds that hadn't been there are here! Not only this, but the air so… clean here, and the trees seem bigger as well!

Could Naruto's blood really have done all this? Why? How… how could something so poisoned and small create a strip of land devoid of anything except peace? Itachi is amazed by these results, his mind is so at peace just sitting against a tree listening to the beautiful songs of morning birds. Wolves, the ones that had been here before, even they are peacefully sleeping in their caves looking well fed and happy.

"How…?" The ANBU runs his hands through the flowers; softly as to not harm them, but enough to make them bend and show their underside. 'no blood…' this place astonishes him! By Naruto's ability… imagine if this was bigger? If everyone could have something like this, a place to go and feel peace. 'I bet there would be less war.' If all war lords had a place to go for tranquility, then they could discuss treaties more peacefully.

Weasel reclines, letting his head touch the soft pillow of flowers on the tree behind him as his eyes close. The fragrance and gentle chirping lulling him to sleep.

Unfortunately, he is awoken by the presence of Kakashi. Why couldn't he still be exploring? The older ANBU sighs as he surveys the area. "Ma, Looks like it was completely transformed." His words sound amused, but also a little frightened. Anyone without knowing Kakashi would just think he was happy or oddly satisfied, but Itachi knows his senpai.

After their little chat Kakashi agreed that Naruto isn't the kind of person to betray anyone, he is too… innocent. They fought over this for hours but Kakashi gave in. Stubborn man- he even demanded Itachi take him to the site again after he told about the forget-me-nots.

"They fade out, they don't stop in a perfect line, but I don't think they will continue to grow, at least not by more than a few feet." The silver haired man looks down to Itachi, observing his relaxed state. "This place is peaceful, isn't it?" Even Kakashi must admit that it is hard to feel bad here… in a field of beautiful flowers with ever changing blue colors that imitate rolling waves. Different shades of blues and whites all mixed together and blended beautifully…

"Hai," is all Itachi cares to reply.

"The animals seem to have moved in quickly as well." He takes a small pause as they watch a bumble bee float along from flower to flower. "It's like they can feel it too." Earlier he pet a deer, and a squirrel took a nut from his fingers not worrying a bit if Kakashi was a threat.

Not caring to reply, Weasel picks a flower. Are the insides normal? All the plants seem to be growing from one, so is it possible, but then again- how is it sustaining all of this?

His question was quickly answered.

Instead of a syrup dripping from the plant, it is blood. Metallic in smell and bright red- there is no mistaking it. "Blood?" how can a plant bleed? This is unnatural- almost eerie… Kakashi seems a little put off by this as well. Wolf pulls out a kunai and strikes the tree deep, deep enough to get to the fragile insides. This too becomes wet with blood. Why is this? What could change it so much as to make a plant bleed! Maybe there is a lot more to this power than they thought… Perhaps the poison had something t do with this?

Both ANBU are left with more questions than answers, piquing their interest in the little kidnapped boy.

Naruto is tired… no, exhausted. Drained, weary, worn-out or whatever it is when the body is barely able to move and the brain incapable of thought, that is what he is. Last night was full of cram studying accompanied by a small breakdown. In total, he got roughly two-ish hours of sleep, which isn't healthy. He was passed out, not sleeping, when being healed so he is probably going to need to sleep on the way over to the new place.

Odikaya nudges him worriedly, licking the side of Naruto's face, earning a giggle. The blond pets his friend lazily, still showing affection even while feeling like he is going to pass out. Chi tries to cover him up, and Odiyaka forces the little blond to lay down with the weight of his head.

"N-no… I have-ve to get ready." They refuse to let him up, insisting he sleep, whether Kabuto and Orochimaru like it or not! Unfortunately, their plan is foiled when Kabuto enters, smiling in a weird fashion as always. Chi growls, threatening the man to come in and wake Naruto up.

The little blond is already up, looking at kabuto with a sleepy half-smile. "Kabto-san."

(Let me know if you want the POVs to be separated better)


End file.
